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口不择言

kǒu bù zé yándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to speak incoherently / to ramble / to talk irresponsibly
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-a49c4a91738fde5d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

口不擇言 口不择言 [kou3 bu4 ze2 yan2] /to speak incoherently/to ramble/to talk irresponsibly/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 口不擇言

  • 口
    kǒu

    mouth / classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc) / classifier for bites or mouthfuls

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 择
    zé

    to select / to choose / to pick over / to pick out / to differentiate / to eliminate / also pr. [zhái]

  • 言
    yán

    words / speech / to say / to talk

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.