有口无心
yǒu kǒu wú xīn
to speak sharply without meaning harm; to say things one does not mean
Character by character
有yǒu
have
have
口kǒu
mouth
mouth
无wú
no
no
心xīn
heart
heart
Example
奶奶说话直，有口无心，你别往心里去。
Grandma says what she thinks, but she means no harm; don’t take it to heart.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Used to excuse someone’s blunt or hurtful words: 他这个人有口无心. Usually followed by 别往心里去 or 别生气. It can also mean mouthing words without taking them in, as in the 歇后语 小和尚念经——有口无心, a young monk chanting sutras.
Learn this in Lesson 49 · HSK 5–6: 代沟 (The generation gap)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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