tou1 tou1 bat1 zyut6滔滔不絕滔滔不绝

Jyutpingtou1 tou1 bat1 zyut6

Yaletōu tōu bāt jyuht

語句Uncommon

Definition

To talk incessantly, like endlessly rushing water.

colloquialcommunicationdescriptions

How it's used

Used primarily to describe someone who speaks with great fluency and enthusiasm, often to the point of being overwhelming for the listener. While it can be used neutrally to praise a good orator, it frequently carries a slightly negative connotation of being long-winded or unable to stop talking. It is a formal idiom that is frequently used in spoken Cantonese to add emphasis to a description of someone's talkativeness.

Examples

keoi5佢jat1一gong2講hei2起gau6舊si4時di1啲je5嘢zau6就tou1滔tou1滔bat1不zyut6絕。

Once he starts talking about the old days, he just won't stop.

nei5你sai2使m4唔sai2使gong2講dak1得gam3咁tou1滔tou1滔bat1不zyut6絕aa4呀？

Do you really have to go on and on like that?

Common phrases

gong2講dou3到tou1滔tou1滔bat1不zyut6絕

to talk incessantly

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe physical movement or literal water flow, as it is strictly reserved for human speech. It is also not a verb on its own and usually requires a verb like 講 or 講嘢 to function naturally in a sentence.