话到嘴边
“But every time the words reached my lips,”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
话到嘴边
“But every time the words reached my lips,”
“I was about to tell you the harsh truth, but I stopped myself.”
In Chinese social interaction, holding back painful truths out of consideration or fear of consequences is a common pragmatic strategy.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
words on the tip of one's tongue / on the verge of speaking
Commonly paired with swallowing one's words or hesitating when delivering difficult or sensitive news.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“but I couldn't get started.”
“I'm not done.”
“I haven't finished yet.”
“You keep saying”
“I'm done.”
“Then again,”