七嘴八舌

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: qī zuǐ bā shé
• English Translation: All talking at once, chattering, clamoring
• Idiom Composition: 「七」（Seven, an analogy for many）＋「嘴」（Mouth）＋「八」（Eight, an analogy for many）＋「舌」（Tongue）
• Meaning: Describes a noisy situation where many people are speaking at once, each expressing their own opinions, leading to a lack of consensus.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「七嘴八舌」 contains the following nuances:

• Many people speaking simultaneously: Describes a situation where many people are talking at the same time.
• Disagreement of opinions: Indicates that the discussion lacks unity, with each person asserting different opinions.
• Noisy and chaotic scene: Describes an atmosphere that is noisy and out of control.
• Blame or criticism: Often used to describe negative situations and may carry nuances of blame or criticism.

3. Usage

「七嘴八舌」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Scene of a discussion or meeting: Used to describe a chaotic situation in a discussion or meeting with many participants, where opinions are not unified.
  • Example:「会上大家七嘴八舌地发表意见，一时难以达成共识。」
    （At the meeting, everyone spoke all at once, making it difficult to reach a consensus for a while.）
• Noisy situation: Used to describe a noisy situation where people are talking freely.
  • Example:「教室里七嘴八舌的，吵得我头疼。」
    （The classroom was noisy with chatter, giving me a headache.）
• Difficulty in problem-solving: Used to describe a situation where problem-solving is difficult due to many opinions being expressed.
  • Example:「面对这个问题，大家七嘴八舌，提出了各种解决方案。」
    （Faced with this problem, everyone chattered away, proposing various solutions.）

Additional Examples:

1. 一听说要加班，办公室里立刻七嘴八舌地议论起来。
   （As soon as they heard about overtime, the office immediately started chattering about it.）
2. 老师一提出这个问题，同学们就七嘴八舌地回答起来。
   （As soon as the teacher posed the question, the students began to answer all at once.）
3. 市场里人声鼎沸，商贩们七嘴八舌地叫卖着。
   （The market was bustling with voices, and vendors were clamoring to sell their goods.）
4. 事故现场围满了人，大家七嘴八舌地猜测着事故的原因。
   （The accident scene was crowded with people, and everyone was chattering about the cause of the accident.）
5. 尽管大家七嘴八舌地提了很多建议，但最终还是没有找到解决问题的办法。
   （Although everyone made many suggestions all at once, they ultimately couldn't find a solution to the problem.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• Numerical expressions: In Chinese, numbers like 'three', 'seven', and 'eight' are often used not only to indicate specific quantities but also to express 'many'. The '七' and '八' in '七嘴八舌' signify 'many people' rather than actual numbers.
• Negative connotation: '七嘴八舌' is often used to describe negative situations. It implies not just that many people are talking, but that the situation is chaotic and unmanageable.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 众说纷纭 (zhòng shuō fēn yún): Many different opinions flying around, unable to reach a consensus.
  • 各执一词 (gè zhí yì cí): Each sticking to their own version of events.
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 异口同声 (yì kǒu tóng shēng): Many people speaking in unison.
  • 众口一词 (zhòng kǒu yì cí): Many people saying the same thing.

6. Summary

'七嘴八舌' is an idiom describing a noisy situation where many people speak simultaneously, and opinions are not unified. It often implies not only many people talking but also a chaotic atmosphere, disagreement, and sometimes blame or criticism. When using this idiom, consider the context carefully to apply it appropriately.