合不拢嘴

合不攏嘴
hébulǒng zuǐ
phrase #44,396

Meanings

  1. 1 to grin from ear to ear
  2. 2 to be unable to close one's mouth (from joy or amazement)

Examples

HSK 4
Tīngdào zhège hǎo xiāoxi, māma xiào de hébulǒng zuǐ.
Hearing the good news, Mom grinned from ear to ear.
HSK 6
Dìyī cì kàndào dàhǎi, háizimen jīngyà de hébulǒng zuǐ.
Seeing the sea for the first time, the children stood with their mouths hanging open.

Tips

grammar
Almost always after a verb and 得: 笑得合不拢嘴 or 乐得合不拢嘴 "too happy to stop grinning". 合不拢 is the "cannot" form of 合拢 "to close".

Stroke Order

合 hé
不 bù
拢 lǒng
嘴 zuǐ