Words & Speech
巧言令色
교언영색
qiǎo yán lìng sè
Gyo-eon-yeong-saek
巧
공교할 교
言
말씀 언
令
아름다울 령
色
빛 색
Character by character
Meaning
Polished words and an arranged face, put on to win favour.
Origin
From the Analects: Confucius said such people rarely have real benevolence in them.
How it is used
Used to warn against someone whose talk is all surface.
Hanja巧言令色
Simplified巧言令色
Korean reading교언영색
Pinyinqiǎo yán lìng sè
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does Gyo-eon-yeong-saek mean?
巧言令色 · Polished words and an arranged face, put on to win favour.
Q. Where does Gyo-eon-yeong-saek come from?
From the Analects: Confucius said such people rarely have real benevolence in them.
Q. How is Gyo-eon-yeong-saek used?
Used to warn against someone whose talk is all surface.
Idioms in the same group
言中有骨 Eon-jung-yu-golThere is bone inside the words — a hard meaning hidden in an ordinary remark.寸鐵殺人 Chon-cheol-sa-rinKill with an inch of steel — pierce the vital point with a few words.以心傳心 I-sim-jeon-simMind transmits to mind — understanding without a word spoken.甘言利說 Gam-eon-i-seolSweet words and seemingly advantageous talk — the language of enticement.有口無言 Yu-gu-mu-eonYou have a mouth but nothing to say.一言之下 Il-eon-ji-haSettled in a single word — a flat, immediate response.
The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.