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信口開河

简信口开河 · 繁信口開河

Mandarin · pinyin xìn kǒu kāi hé

to speak without thinking (idiom)
to blurt sth out

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Characters in this entry

信: xìn · trust, believe; letter
口: kǒu · mouth; open end; entrance, gate
開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
河: hé · river; stream; the Yellow River
开: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–1–2 · xin4 kou3 kai1 he2

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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5character links1same-tone record

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

信口開河 · find source passages ↗ · 信口开河 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to speak carelessly, rapidly and voluminously like the outflow of river water when the sluice gates are opened; to talk nonsense; to talk at random

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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