七嘴八舌

• Pinyin: qī zuǐ bā shé
• Hanzi breakdown: 七 (seven); 嘴 = 口 + 觜 (mouth); 八 (eight); 舌 = 舌 (tongue)

Meaning

Everyone talking at once; a cacophony of voices; many people speaking simultaneously in a chaotic manner.

Describes a scene of noisy, disorganised collective speech. Can be neutral or mildly negative depending on context. Often used when a group discusses something excitedly without order.

Examples

1. 大家七嘴八舌地讨论着这个方案，会议室里乱成一片。 Everyone talked over one another while discussing the plan, and the meeting room descended into chaos.
2. 孩子们七嘴八舌地向老师讲述今天郊游的见闻。 The kids all talked at once, telling the teacher about what they saw on today’s field trip.
3. 围观的群众七嘴八舌，现场十分嘈杂混乱。 Onlookers all chimed in at once, and the scene was extremely noisy and chaotic.

Usage Guide

Context: colloquial, social, meetings

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他们七嘴八舌地提意见，场面有些混乱。(They all chimed in with opinions at once, creating a somewhat chaotic scene.)
• 别七嘴八舌了，让他把话说完再讨论。(Stop all talking at once — let him finish speaking before we discuss.)

Don't Say

• 我们需要七嘴八舌的讨论 — use 热烈讨论 for 'lively discussion'; 七嘴八舌 implies disorder and lack of structure

Origin & History

七嘴 (seven mouths) + 八舌 (eight tongues) — figuratively, many mouths speaking at once

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal