Skip to content
qī 七 zuǐ 嘴 bā 八 shé 舌

七嘴八舌 qī zuǐ bā shé

everybody talking at once; a babble of voices

Literally: seven mouths eight tongues

Beginner 💬 Speech & communication
🃏 Practise beginner chengyu

Tap a character above to see its stroke order and the words it appears in.

Origin

Descriptive; no single source story. Common in Ming dynasty fiction.

How to use it

Adverbial; neutral, lively. Often 七嘴八舌地讨论/说.

Example sentences

Show:

Tap any word for its meaning and pinyin. The chengyu is highlighted.

  1. 老师一问，同学们七嘴八舌地回答起来。
    Lǎoshī yī wèn, tóngxuémen qī zuǐ bā shé de huídá qǐlái.
    As soon as the teacher asked, the students all started answering at once.
    teacher once ask, classmates seven mouths eight tongues (particle) answer begin
  2. 大家七嘴八舌，我一句也听不清楚。
    Dàjiā qī zuǐ bā shé, wǒ yī jù yě tīng bu qīngchu.
    With everyone talking at once, I couldn't make out a single sentence.
    everyone seven mouths eight tongues, I one sentence also hear not clear

More chengyu about speech & communication

All speech & communication chengyu →