Yu-gu-mu-eon

有

있을 유

口

입 구

無

없을 무

言

말씀 언

Character by character

Meaning

You have a mouth but nothing to say.

Origin

Settled in Korean usage for a state with no room left to excuse yourself.

How it is used

Used when the fault is so clear that nothing can be said.

Hanja有口無言

Simplified有口无言

Korean reading유구무언

Pinyinyǒu kǒu wú yán

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does Yu-gu-mu-eon mean?

有口無言 · You have a mouth but nothing to say.

Q. Where does Yu-gu-mu-eon come from?

Settled in Korean usage for a state with no room left to excuse yourself.

Q. How is Yu-gu-mu-eon used?

Used when the fault is so clear that nothing can be said.

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.一言之下 Il-eon-ji-haSettled in a single word — a flat, immediate response.語不成說 Eo-bul-seong-seolThe words do not add up to a statement — it makes no sense.

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.