<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.merit-times.com.tw/NewsPage.aspx?unid=558865" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金口難開</a></p>
<p>..... <em>後來，便有了「金口難開」這個成語，表示：嘴巴像金子一樣珍貴，不輕易張口用來說話；形容一個人沉默寡言、不愛說話。</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Base on the story, 金口難開  originally describe &quot;someone value his own words like gold, do not open his mouth to speak unless it is necessary&quot; ; Now it is used to describe &quot;someone being reticent; <a href="https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/a-man-of-few-words" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a man of few words</a>&quot;</p>
<ul>
<li><p>金口 = golden mouth (valuable speech)</p>
</li>
<li><p>難開 = 難得打開 (rarely open)</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T02:11:30.257Z
Oh, it looks like I misinterpreted it!
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T02:16:26.823Z
難 here  is short for 難得 (rarely); not 難以 (hard to)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T02:09:28.133Z
2020-05-07T02:15:46.927Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p><strong>Is it an idiom?</strong></p>

<p>Maybe?</p>

<hr>

<p>Is 金口难开 a <em>chengyu</em>? No I don't believe that it is. On one side of the coin 金口难开 could be considered a construct; in this case a phrase made-up of two different words: 金口 &amp; 难开. In fact, 金口难开 doesn't really have an entry in any readily available dictionaries. Interestingly enough, though, the expression does show up as an example sentence in <em>Pleco C-E</em> under the entry of 金口:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>金口难开<br>
  unable or unwilling to utter a word</p>
</blockquote>

<p><em>Pleco C-E</em> is a regularly updated and maintained dictionary that could easily add this headword if they deemed it to be an actual word in and of itself. </p>

<hr>

<p>Could a case be made that it is, in fact, a set phrase? Probably?</p>

<p>If this were deemed an idiomatic expression you might have an argument that it belonged in a dictionary.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001084919?full=y&amp;archive" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FT Chinese</a> has written an article with the headline:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“金口难开”的特朗普支持者</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Is it in quotes to be ironic or is it because it is a set phrase that means something?</p>

<p><a href="https://www.sohu.com/a/321601191_154517" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sohu</a>, similarly, also has an article with a similar headline:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>两岁孩子仍然“金口难开”，父母该如何引导？ </p>
</blockquote>

<p>There is a section of the book《<a href="https://books.google.ch/books?id=i041CgAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT755&amp;lpg=PT755&amp;dq=%E9%87%91%E5%8F%A3%E9%9A%BE%E5%BC%80&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=kdTDyZzOVA&amp;sig=ACfU3U2ngGlSyMVfK2dwbcAdEEbIbdsX_w&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiw_sXYxqLpAhWQ_KQKHf9iAyw4ChDoATADegQIChAB#v=onepage&amp;q=%E9%87%91%E5%8F%A3%E9%9A%BE%E5%BC%80&amp;f=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金牌营销必备丛书</a>》with the heading: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>面对“金口难开”型顾客的直销法</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Overall, it seems like are more sarcastic undertones to this phrasage than is readily implied in its literal meaning. And, if you could prove that, then you'd have a much better case on your hand to argue for its right to have an entry as a headword.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T20:20:48.103Z
2020-05-07T20:20:48.103Z
Mou某
<p>I stumbled upon 金口难开, and I think it's a 成语.  I think it describes people who are pretentious (金口 = gold mouth), which makes it hard for them to speak (难开 = difficult to open).</p>

<p>Examples:</p>

<blockquote>
  <ol>
  <li>家长怎么教宝宝都是<strong>金口难开</strong>，多半是少做了这些事<sup><a href="https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1641840445344229087&amp;wfr=spider&amp;for=pc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup></li>
  <li>微信聊天，<strong>金口难开</strong>的女人无非有三个心理,摸准后她对你念念不忘 <sup><a href="https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1620362836159364244&amp;wfr=spider&amp;for=pc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup></li>
  <li><strong>金口难开</strong>，绝不会认错的星座! <sup><a href="https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1613744503622465405&amp;wfr=spider&amp;for=pc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup></li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: Is 金口难开 an idiom, and if so what would be a suitable CC-CEDICT definition?</p>

<p>Here's my partial CC-CEDICT definition (which I'm not very confident about):</p>

<pre><code>金口难开 金口難開 [jin1 kou3 nan2 kai1] /lit. a gold mouth is hard to open (idiom)/fig. to be too pretentious for words/
</code></pre>

<p>which is modified from a related definition:</p>

<pre><code>羞口難開 羞口难开 [xiu1 kou3 nan2 kai1] /to be too embarrassed for words (idiom)/
</code></pre>

<hr>

<p>PS: <a href="https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CC-CEDICT definitions</a> need to be high-quality (they're used in dictionaries all over the world).  The whole dictionary is free to download.  Submissions are <a href="https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php?handler=ListChanges" rel="nofollow noreferrer">reviewed</a> prior to modifying the database.  They have a <a href="https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php?popup=1&amp;handler=ContributorManual" rel="nofollow noreferrer">specific syntax</a>, e.g.: <code>中國 中国 [Zhong1 guo2] /China/Middle Kingdom/</code></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T01:37:06.423Z
What is CC-EDICT's scope of words? I didn't get a useful summary of the scope from a glance at their wiki page. Having a look at 中國 in the actual dictionary, for example, showed only one entry ("China"), when strictly speaking "China" is a metaphor and not the literal meaning.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T02:10:36.150Z
I simply don't know.  I know they don't want every conceivable word (e.g., molecule names are likely limitless), but I don't think there's specific rules.
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T22:06:22.927Z
Guys it's CC-**C**EDICT, I've edited the post and renamed the tag now.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-07T23:04:43.313Z
Huh.  I didn't notice the C.
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-08T09:55:16.790Z
I’m assuming it stands for “Creative Commons-Chinese English Dictionary”
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-08T09:56:22.447Z
Ah, makes sense; I thought EDICT = electronic dictionary
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-08T10:07:09.907Z
EDICT was Jim Breen’s freely available Japanese to English dictionary. I always assumed it stood for English but I’m not sure now, it might stand for “extended” as in Extended Unix Code. Which would mean that CEDICT is actually an abbreviation for Chinese Extended (Unix Code) Dictionary.
Mou某
<idioms><chengyu><meaning>
Is 金口难开 an idiom, and if so what would be a suitable CC-CEDICT definition?
# Is 金口难开 an idiom, and if so what would be a suitable CC-CEDICT definition?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-07)

I stumbled upon 金口难开, and I think it's a 成语.  I think it describes people who are pretentious (金口 = gold mouth), which makes it hard for them to speak (难开 = difficult to open).
Examples:


家长怎么教宝宝都是金口难开，多半是少做了这些事[src]
微信聊天，金口难开的女人无非有三个心理,摸准后她对你念念不忘 [src]
金口难开，绝不会认错的星座! [src]


Question: Is 金口难开 an idiom, and if so what would be a suitable CC-CEDICT definition?
Here's my partial CC-CEDICT definition (which I'm not very confident about):
金口难开 金口難開 [jin1 kou3 nan2 kai1] /lit. a gold mouth is hard to open (idiom)/fig. to be too pretentious for words/

which is modified from a related definition:
羞口難開 羞口难开 [xiu1 kou3 nan2 kai1] /to be too embarrassed for words (idiom)/


PS: CC-CEDICT definitions need to be high-quality (they're used in dictionaries all over the world).  The whole dictionary is free to download.  Submissions are reviewed prior to modifying the database.  They have a specific syntax, e.g.: 中國 中国 [Zhong1 guo2] /China/Middle Kingdom/

**Tags:** idioms, chengyu, meaning

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What is CC-EDICT's scope of words? I didn't get a useful summary of the scope from a glance at their wiki page. Having a look at 中國 in the actual dictionary, for example, showed only one entry ("China"), when strictly speaking "China" is a metaphor and not the literal meaning.  
> **username_0**: I simply don't know.  I know they don't want every conceivable word (e.g., molecule names are likely limitless), but I don't think there's specific rules.  
> **username_2**: Guys it's CC-**C**EDICT, I've edited the post and renamed the tag now.  
> **username_0**: Huh.  I didn't notice the C.  
> **username_2**: I’m assuming it stands for “Creative Commons-Chinese English Dictionary”  
> **username_0**: Ah, makes sense; I thought EDICT = electronic dictionary  
> **username_2**: EDICT was Jim Breen’s freely available Japanese to English dictionary. I always assumed it stood for English but I’m not sure now, it might stand for “extended” as in Extended Unix Code. Which would mean that CEDICT is actually an abbreviation for Chinese Extended (Unix Code) Dictionary.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-05-07. Score: 1

> [金口難開](https://www.merit-times.com.tw/NewsPage.aspx?unid=558865)
>
> ..... *後來，便有了「金口難開」這個成語，表示：嘴巴像金子一樣珍貴，不輕易張口用來說話；形容一個人沉默寡言、不愛說話。*

Base on the story, 金口難開 originally describe "someone value his own words like gold, do not open his mouth to speak unless it is necessary" ; Now it is used to describe "someone being reticent; [a man of few words](https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/a-man-of-few-words)"

* 金口 = golden mouth (valuable speech)
* 難開 = 難得打開 (rarely open)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Oh, it looks like I misinterpreted it!  
> **username_3**: 難 here  is short for 難得 (rarely); not 難以 (hard to)  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-05-07. Score: 1

**Is it an idiom?**

Maybe?

---

Is 金口难开 a *chengyu*? No I don't believe that it is. On one side of the coin 金口难开 could be considered a construct; in this case a phrase made-up of two different words: 金口 & 难开. In fact, 金口难开 doesn't really have an entry in any readily available dictionaries. Interestingly enough, though, the expression does show up as an example sentence in *Pleco C-E* under the entry of 金口:

> 金口难开  
> unable or unwilling to utter a word

*Pleco C-E* is a regularly updated and maintained dictionary that could easily add this headword if they deemed it to be an actual word in and of itself.

---

Could a case be made that it is, in fact, a set phrase? Probably?

If this were deemed an idiomatic expression you might have an argument that it belonged in a dictionary.

[FT Chinese](http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001084919?full=y&archive) has written an article with the headline:

> “金口难开”的特朗普支持者

Is it in quotes to be ironic or is it because it is a set phrase that means something?

[Sohu](https://www.sohu.com/a/321601191_154517), similarly, also has an article with a similar headline:

> 两岁孩子仍然“金口难开”，父母该如何引导？

There is a section of the book《[金牌营销必备丛书](https://books.google.ch/books?id=i041CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT755&lpg=PT755&dq=%E9%87%91%E5%8F%A3%E9%9A%BE%E5%BC%80&source=bl&ots=kdTDyZzOVA&sig=ACfU3U2ngGlSyMVfK2dwbcAdEEbIbdsX_w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw_sXYxqLpAhWQ_KQKHf9iAyw4ChDoATADegQIChAB#v=onepage&q=%E9%87%91%E5%8F%A3%E9%9A%BE%E5%BC%80&f=false)》with the heading:

> 面对“金口难开”型顾客的直销法

Overall, it seems like are more sarcastic undertones to this phrasage than is readily implied in its literal meaning. And, if you could prove that, then you'd have a much better case on your hand to argue for its right to have an entry as a headword.


---

