閉嘴 / 闭嘴
bìzuǐ
The English phrase "shut up" can be translated into Chinese as 閉嘴 / 闭嘴 (bìzuǐ) or 住口.
Meaning: "Stop talking." (intj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 閉嘴 / 闭嘴 | bìzuǐ |
| 住口 | zhùkǒu |
These phrases are used to command someone to stop talking. 閉嘴 / 闭嘴 is commonly used in heated arguments or when someone is being extremely annoying. You may also encounter 闭上嘴, which literally means "close your mouth" and is used to indirectly tell someone to be silent.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 閉嘴 / 闭嘴 literally means "close mouth". The phrase 住口 literally means "stop mouth" or "cease speaking".
Which one should you use?
閉嘴 / 闭嘴 is a blunt way to say "shut up". In contrast, 住口 is slightly more formal or literary and is often used in literature or settings where emotions are more controlled.
How do you pronounce it?
bìzuǐ
Did you know?
- Chinese has a specific cultural concept called 沉默是金, which means 'silence is gold', creating a linguistic irony where being told to 闭嘴 is an insult, but choosing to be silent is a virtue.
- The character 住 in 住口 usually means 'to live' or 'to reside', but here it functions as a complementary verb meaning 'to stop' or 'to freeze' a movement.
- While 闭嘴 is blunt, a person might place their index finger vertically over their lips to signal silence, but doing this to a superior in a professional Chinese setting can be seen as more aggressive than the words themselves.
Examples in context
- 你現在可以住口了。You can shut up now.This sentence shows how to use 住口 to tell someone they can stop talking now.Tatoeba #6073876 by verdastelo9604, translation #5629440 by Hybrid
- 我認為湯姆不會住口。I thought Tom would never shut up.This sentence illustrates a situation where someone is expected to 住口.Tatoeba #6075488 by verdastelo9604, translation #1938801 by CK
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shut up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
