talk oneself hoarse; wear oneself out in persuasion
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to talk oneself hoarse; to exhaust oneself in speaking; to wear out one's tongue and lips
literaryLiterary idiom describing the physical exhaustion from excessive talking, often implying fruitless or repetitive explanation. Variant form: 唇焦舌敝 (chún jiāo shé bì).
Wǒ我
xiàng向
tā他
shuō说
le了
bàn半
tiān天
，
shuō说
de得
shé舌
bì敝
chún唇
jiāo焦
，
tā他
hái还
shì是
bù不
tīng听
。
I talked to him for ages until I was hoarse, but he still wouldn't listen.
Lǜ律
shī师
wèi为
bèi被
gào告
biàn辩
hù护
，
shuō说
de得
shé舌
bì敝
chún唇
jiāo焦
，
shì试
tú图
shuō说
fù服
péi陪
shěn审
tuán团
。
The lawyer defended the defendant, talking himself hoarse in an attempt to persuade the jury.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Lǎo老
shī师
wèi为
le了
ràng让
xué学
shēng生
lǐ理
jiě解
zhè这
gè个
gài概
niàn念
，
jiǎng讲
de得
shé舌
bì敝
chún唇
jiāo焦
。
The teacher exhausted himself explaining the concept so the students could understand it.