# 嘴黑



## yuechu

大家好！

Does anyone know what 嘴黑 means? I heard it on a TV show. I think it is something negative, right?
Thanks!


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## TLH2020

Yes, it is definitely negative. It means someone tends to bad mouth about stuff.


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## yuechu

OK! Thanks, TLH2020! 
Does it refer to someone gossiping about other people?


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## TLH2020

Not necessarily. Normally a 嘴黑 person is somebody with a negative attitude towards things.


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## yuechu

Oh, ok! Is it a noun or an adjective? (or both?)
Thanks, TLH2020!


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## TLH2020

You can say that person 嘴巴黑. Or, 他是个嘴黑的人. So it is an adj.


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## retrogradedwithwind

一般说心黑手黑，意思是心狠手辣。嘴黑，似乎只是字面意思上的嘴巴黑。

gossip 是嘴碎。


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## Skatinginbc

Context?  For example,  「说我*嘴黑*，并不是说我伶牙俐齿，说话尖酸刻薄，而是说我讲话太直、太实，有时候没有照顾到他人的情面。」 ==> 说话不留情面。

「议论叶晨的人，大多数是说他*嘴黑，*不留情面，」

This usage of 嘴黑 is also seen in “心直嘴黑”: 「《灯泡》讲述的是一个 “心直*嘴黑*” 的机关 “捣蛋分子” 重新融入 “游戏规则” 的过程。」

「嘴黑」是嘴巴常說出「黑話」(a grim talk; i.e., 令人生畏卻步氣沮的話; e.g.,《西遊記》八戒在旁邊賣嘴道：『媽媽兒莫說黑話，我們都是會飛的。』)。

類似 「黑臉」 (a grim face; 比喻剛正不阿或嚴厲的人; e.g., 黑臉包公) 的「黑」(grim 嚴峻),  不給人情面, 令人生畏。Just as a _grim humor_ can be described as a "_black_" _humor_ in English, so can a _grim face_ be described as a "_black_" _face_ in Chinese (黑臉; 陰沉的臉).

他嘴黑 ==> He is bluntly and grimly outspoken (in his criticism and opposition).


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## Bule&sky

Someone said a bad situation, and it really happened later. This word is adj.
For example, you say you think the soccer team will be lost in the match, and it's really lost later.


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## yuechu

Thank you all for your explanations! 



Bule&sky said:


> Someone said a bad situation, and it really happened later. This word is adj.
> For example, you say you think the soccer team will be lost in the match, and it's really lost later.


Oh, do you mean like "jinxing" (jinx+ing) someone?


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## Bule&sky

yuechu said:


> Thank you all for your explanations!
> 
> 
> Oh, do you mean like "jinxing" (jinx+ing) someone?


Sorry, I don't understand what "jinxing" is, can you write Chinese word?


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## yuechu

Hi, Bule&sky! Yeah, after I wrote the word, I realized that it's a bit confusing because it looks like a Chinese word.
It's this word (in English):



*jinx⇒* _vtr_(superstition: cause failure)使倒霉
shǐ dǎo méi使遭殃
shǐ zāo yāng把霉运带给
bǎ méi yùn dài gěi


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## Bule&sky

No, it's not same as jinx, coz  嘴黑 is not the real reason of the bad situation.
For example, I say you will be failure in the exam if you don't study hard, so the real reason of not passing the exam is no studying, instead of what I said.


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## yuechu

Oh, I understand better now. Thanks, Bule&sky!


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## Skatinginbc

Bule&sky said:


> you say you think the soccer team will be lost in the match, and it's really lost later.


The speaker is candid and *bluntly outspoken* in his assessment or opinion of the soccer team's ability/performance.  And the assessment entails a *dark *("black" 黑) outlook (i.e., "You will lose."), which is unpleasant, upsetting, or *terrible* to hear for the soccer team who has yet to compete in the match.


Bule&sky said:


> I say you will be failure in the exam if you don't study hard.


The speaker is candid and *bluntly outspoken* in his assessment or opinion of the person's ability to pass the exam.  And the assessment entails a *dark *("black" 黑) outlook (i.e., "You will fail if you don't study hard."), which is unpleasant, upsetting, or *terrible* to hear for the person who has yet to take the exam.


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## yuechu

Oh! That helps enormously. Thanks, Skatinginbc!


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## SuperXW

I think we need a context to use this word.


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## Skatinginbc

Context Example (改編自《西遊記》): 

老母：「和尚，不要走了，快撥馬東回，西去都是死路。」
諕得三藏跳下馬來問道：「老菩薩，怎麼西進便沒路了？」
老母：「那裡去有五六里遠近，乃是滅法國。那國王二年前許願要殺一萬個和尚。這兩年陸續殺夠了九千九百九十六個無名和尚，只要等四個有名的和尚，湊成一萬，好做圓滿哩。你們去，若到城中，都是送命王菩薩。」
三藏聞言，戰兢兢地道：「請問可有不進城的方便路兒？我貧僧轉過去罷。」
老母：「轉不過去，轉不過去。只除是會飛的，就過去了。」
八戒在傍邊賣嘴道：「媽媽兒且莫*嘴黑*，我們都是會飛的。」

The 老母 is candid, serious and *bluntly outspoken* (不留情面地直說) in her assessment of the situation, which entails a *dark or grim *("black" 黑) outlook (i.e., "西去都是死路", "你們去都是送命") that is unpleasant, upsetting, discouraging, or *terrible* to hear.


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