滔滔不绝

Pronunciation: tāo tāo bù jué Literal meaning: Surging waves never ceasing

Origin & Usage

滔滔 is the sound and motion of a river in flood; with 不绝, never (不) breaking off (绝), the phrase gives speech that same volume and the same refusal to stop. The water image does two things at once, praising the fluency and warning about the quantity, and which of the two is meant depends entirely on the listener. A gifted speaker, and a colleague who has now been talking for twenty minutes, without a word of difference between them.

Examples

English: "Once he started talking about his hobby, he went on endlessly."

Chinese: 一旦开始谈论他的爱好，他就滔滔不绝。