缄口不言 jiān kǒu bù yán

keep one’s mouth shut; stay silent

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lips sealed and not saying anything (idiom); fig. to omit mention (of a non-person or embarrassing topic)
  2. 2. to censor

Characters

Character Meaning
缄 jiān
to close; to seal; letter
口 kǒu HSK 3
mouth
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
言 yán HSK 4
to say; to talk; speech