mince words

mince words

Chinese idiom, Pinyin is sh ǎ nshu ò Q í C í, which means to say something hesitant, not willing to reveal the truth or avoid key issues. From notes of Yuewei thatched cottage.

Notes on Idioms

Twinkle: a twinkle of light is a metaphor for hesitation.

The origin of Idioms

Ji Yun's notes of Yuewei thatched cottage in the Qing Dynasty (Volume 15): "if you ask your wife to be hurt, the clouds will scratch and the words will flicker. You may not be lying if you doubt the second language."

Idiom usage

The verb object type is used as predicate and object, with derogatory meaning. The 25th chapter of the history of pain written by Wu Jianren in Qing Dynasty: "what's more, this kind of thing was originally meticulous, or Dingbo deliberately evasive, let alone undecided." (2) Lu liuliang (late Ming and early Qing Dynasty) and Wu Yuzhang's first book: "words flicker, it can not be said to believe." (3) Mao Dun's "disillusionment 5": "he has already concluded that Li Ke does not really know Hui's life experience, but he deliberately makes fun of others with vague and evasive words." (4) the first act of Cao Yu's Peking Man: "who is it? (Sufang:) (evasion) no one (5) Liu Shaotang's "Xiao He Cai Lu Jian Jiao": "an Tianbao is evasive and comes in in a hurry."

Analysis of Idioms

Synonyms: vague, vague, vague Antonyms: outspoken, straightforward