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合不拢嘴

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: hé bù lǒng zuǐ
  • English Translation: Grinning from ear to ear / Unable to stop smiling
  • Idiom Composition: 「合」（To close or join together）＋「不」（Not (used here to indicate the inability to perform an action)）＋「拢」（To bring together or close up）＋「嘴」（Mouth）
  • Meaning: A vivid description of someone who is so happy or amused that they cannot close their mouth, resulting in a wide, persistent grin.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「合不拢嘴」 contains the following nuances:

  • Visual Imagery of Joy: This idiom goes beyond just saying someone is 'happy.' It describes the physical state of a mouth staying open because the person is smiling so broadly, making the emotion feel more vivid and intense.
  • Exclusively Positive Context: This phrase is strictly used for positive emotions like happiness, amusement, or satisfaction. It is not used for shock or horror, even though those emotions might also cause one's mouth to hang open.
  • Grammatical Structure: It is most commonly used as a complement of degree, following the particle 得 (de). For example: 高兴得 (gāoxìng de) or 笑得 (xiào de) followed by 合不拢嘴 (hé bù lǒng zuǐ).

3. Usage

「合不拢嘴」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Joyful Events: Used to describe a reaction to major positive life events such as a promotion, passing an exam, or the birth of a child.
    • Example:「听到儿子考上名牌大学的消息，妈妈高兴得合不拢嘴。」
      （Hearing the news that her son was admitted to a prestigious university, the mother was grinning from ear to ear.)
  • Funny Situations: Used when someone is laughing uncontrollably at a joke, a comedy performance, or a funny story.
    • Example:「相声演员的精彩表演逗得观众们笑得合不拢嘴。」
      （The cross-talk performers' brilliant act had the audience unable to stop laughing.)
  • Satisfaction and Success: Used when someone achieves a goal or gains a benefit, leading to a look of pure satisfaction.
    • Example:「看着丰收的果实，老农乐得合不拢嘴。」
      （Looking at the bountiful harvest, the old farmer was beaming with joy.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 全家人围坐在一起吃团圆饭，爷爷乐得合不拢嘴。
    （As the whole family sat around the table for the reunion dinner, Grandpa was all smiles the entire time.）
  2. 拿到年终奖金后，同事们个个都笑得合不拢嘴。
    （After receiving their year-end bonuses, the colleagues were all grinning from ear to ear.）
  3. 这孩子太可爱了，把大家都逗得合不拢嘴。
    （This child is so adorable that he has everyone smiling uncontrollably.）
  4. 虽然工作很累，但看到顾客满意的笑容，他也高兴得合不拢嘴。
    （Although the work was tiring, seeing the customers' satisfied smiles made him beam with happiness.）
  5. 听到大家的夸奖，小李羞涩又高兴，笑得合不拢嘴。
    （Hearing everyone's praise, Xiao Li felt shy but happy, and he couldn't stop grinning.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • This is a highly colloquial expression. While it is perfect for daily conversation, storytelling, and informal writing, it is generally avoided in formal academic or official documents.
  • The idiom is frequently paired with the character 乐 (lè), which means 'joy' or 'to laugh,' in the specific phrase 乐得合不拢嘴 (lè de hé bù lǒng zuǐ). In Chinese culture, 乐 (lè) represents an outward expression of internal happiness.
  • While English speakers might use 'grinning from ear to ear' or 'beaming,' the Chinese phrase focuses on the 'uncontrollable' nature of the joy—the idea that you are trying to close your mouth but simply cannot because you are so happy.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

合不拢嘴 (hé bù lǒng zuǐ) is a common colloquial expression used to describe a state of extreme joy or amusement. It literally means 'cannot close one's mouth,' depicting a wide, uncontrollable smile. It is typically used as a complement to verbs like 高兴 (gāoxìng - happy) or 笑 (xiào - laugh) to emphasize that a person's happiness is so great it is physically visible.

Idiom Essay

hé bù lǒng zuǐ
合不拢嘴
Unable to Stop Smiling
wǒ我bà bà爸爸shì是yí gè一个bù不tài太huì会biǎo dá表达gǎn qíng感情de的rén人。

My father is not very good at expressing his feelings.

xiǎo shí hòu小时候，wǒ我kǎo shì考试dé得le了yì bǎi fēn一百分，xìng chōng chōng兴冲冲dì地bǎ把juǎn zi卷子dì gěi递给tā他。

When I was little, I got a perfect score on a test and excitedly handed him my paper.

tā他kàn看le了yī yǎn一眼，zhǐ只shuō说le了liǎng gè两个zì字：“bù cuò不错。”

He glanced at it and said only two words: “Not bad.”

rán hòu然后jiù就jì xù继续kàn看tā他de的bào zhǐ报纸。

Then he went back to reading his newspaper.

gāo kǎo高考nà那nián年，dà xué大学lù qǔ tōng zhī shū录取通知书jì寄dào到le了jiā lǐ家里。

The year I took the college entrance exam, my university admission letter arrived at home.

wǒ我chāi kāi拆开xìn fēng信封，jī dòng激动dé得shǒu手dōu都zài在dǒu抖。

I opened the envelope, so excited that my hands were trembling.

bà bà爸爸jiē guò接过tōng zhī shū通知书，fān lái fù qù翻来覆去kàn看le了hǎo jǐ biàn好几遍。

My father took the admission letter and read it over and over several times.

wǒ我yǐ wéi以为zhè这cì次tā他zhì shǎo至少huì会duō多shuō说jǐ jù几句，méi xiǎng dào没想到，tā他zuì hòu最后hái shì还是nà那liǎng gè两个zì字：“bù cuò不错。”

I thought that this time he would at least say a few more words, but unexpectedly, he still ended with the same two words: “Not bad.”

shuō说wán完，jiù就ná拿zhe着shuǐ hú水壶qù去yáng tái阳台jiāo huā浇花le了。

After saying that, he took the watering can to the balcony to water the flowers.

shuō说bù不shī wàng失望shì是jiǎ de假的。

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed.

kě可guò过le了yī huì er一会儿，wǒ我tīng jiàn听见yáng tái阳台shàng上chuán lái传来bà bà爸爸dǎ diàn huà打电话de的shēng yīn声音。

But after a while, I heard my father talking on the phone on the balcony.

“bà爸，hái zi孩子kǎo shàng考上dà xué大学le了……duì对，jiù shì就是nà suǒ那所！”

“Dad, the kid got into university… Yes, that one!”

tā他xiān先gěi给yé yé爷爷dǎ diàn huà打电话，yòu又gěi给gū gū姑姑dǎ打，hòu lái后来lián连duō nián多年méi没lián xì联系de的lǎo老tóng xué同学dōu都dǎ打le了。

First he called Grandpa, then my aunt, and later he even called an old classmate he had not contacted for many years.

měi每tōng通diàn huà电话kāi tóu开头，tā他dōu都shuō说“méi shén me没什么dà shì大事”，kě可liáo聊zhe着liáo聊zhe着，shēng yīn声音jiù就yuè lái yuè越来越xiǎng响，hái还shí bù shí时不时xiào笑chū出shēng声lái来。

At the beginning of every call, he said, “It’s nothing important,” but as they talked, his voice grew louder and louder, and he occasionally burst out laughing.

wǒ我qiāo qiāo悄悄zǒu走dào到yáng tái阳台mén kǒu门口。

I quietly walked to the balcony door.

bà bà爸爸zhèng正yī biān一边dǎ diàn huà打电话，yī biān一边lái huí来回duó bù踱步，shuǐ hú水壶zǎo早bèi被tā他wàng忘zài在le了jiǎo biān脚边。

My father was pacing back and forth while talking on the phone, and he had completely forgotten the watering can at his feet.

tā他zhuǎn guò shēn转过身lái来，wǒ我zhōng yú终于kàn qīng看清le了tā他de的liǎn脸：tā他xiào笑dé得hé bù lǒng zuǐ合不拢嘴。

He turned around, and I finally saw his face clearly: he was grinning from ear to ear.

“hé bù lǒng zuǐ合不拢嘴”，shuō说de的shì是yí gè一个rén人gāo xìng高兴dé得yì zhí一直xiào笑，zuǐ bā嘴巴fǎng fú仿佛zěn me怎么yě也bì bù shàng闭不上。

“Unable to stop smiling” describes someone who is so happy that they keep smiling, as if they simply cannot close their mouth.

hàn yǔ汉语lǐ里cháng常shuō说“xiào笑dé得hé bù lǒng zuǐ合不拢嘴”huò zhě或者“lè乐dé得hé bù lǒng zuǐ合不拢嘴”。

In Chinese, people often say “笑得合不拢嘴” or “乐得合不拢嘴.”

zhè zhǒng这种xǐ yuè喜悦bù不yí dìng一定lái zì来自shén me什么hǎo xiào好笑de的shì qíng事情，yě也kě néng可能shì是yīn wèi因为jīng xǐ惊喜、mǎn zú满足，huò zhě或者xiàng像wǒ我bà bà爸爸nà yàng那样，wèi为jiā rén家人gǎn dào感到jiāo ào骄傲。

This kind of joy does not necessarily come from something funny. It may also come from a pleasant surprise, a feeling of satisfaction, or, like my father, pride in one’s family.

yǐ qián以前wǒ我zǒng总jué de觉得，bà bà爸爸shuō说“bù cuò不错”，jiù shì就是jué de觉得hái还bù cuò不错。

I used to think that when my father said “Not bad,” he really meant that it was merely not bad.

nà tiān那天wǒ我cái才fā xiàn发现，yǒu有de的rén人bù不xí guàn习惯bǎ把xǐ yuè喜悦guà zài zuǐ biān挂在嘴边，què却rěn bú zhù忍不住bǎ把tóng yī同一jiàn件gāo xìng高兴de的shì事gào sù告诉yí gè一个yòu又yí gè一个rén人。

Only that day did I realize that some people are not used to expressing their joy in words, but cannot help telling one person after another about the same happy event.

tā他kě yǐ可以kòng zhì控制zì jǐ自己shuō说shén me什么，què却hěn很nán难kòng zhì控制liǎn脸shàng上de的xiào róng笑容。

He could control what he said, but it was much harder for him to control the smile on his face.

nà tiān那天wǎn shàng晚上chī fàn吃饭，bà bà爸爸yòu又huī fù恢复le了píng shí平时de的yàng zi样子，rèn zhēn认真dì地tí xǐng提醒wǒ我，shàng上dà xué大学yǐ hòu以后yě也bù néng不能fàng sōng放松xué xí学习。

At dinner that evening, my father returned to his usual self and seriously reminded me that I must not slack off in my studies after starting university.

wǒ我yī biān一边diǎn tóu点头，yī biān一边rěn bú zhù忍不住xiào笑。

I nodded while trying not to laugh.

bà bà爸爸kàn看le了wǒ我yī yǎn一眼：“xiào笑shén me什么？”

My father glanced at me. “What are you laughing at?”

wǒ我yáo摇yáo tóu摇头，xué学zhe着tā他de的yǔ qì语气shuō说：“méi shén me没什么。”

I shook my head and imitated his tone: “It’s nothing.”

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