Once, during the Eastern Jin dynasty, the painter Gu Kaizhi, general Huan Xuan, and Yin Zhongkan gathered and shared exaggerated sayings depicting extremely dangerous situations:

  • Huan Xuan: “Cooking millet with spear and sword tips,” meaning absurd and dangerous.
  • Yin Zhongkan: “A hundred-year-old man clinging to a withered branch,” symbolizing great danger.
  • Gu Kaizhi: “A baby lying on a well’s rolling wheel,” indicating extreme risk.

These exaggerated and alarming expressions came to be called “weiyan songting,” meaning “alarming words that shock listeners.”

Summary

  • Idiom: 危言耸听
  • Pinyin: wēi yán sǒng tīng
  • Literal Translation: alarming words that shock the listener
  • Extended Meaning: Used to describe deliberately exaggerated or frightening statements made to shock or alarm others.

Character Introduction

  • 顾恺之 (Gu Kaizhi): A famous painter of the Eastern Jin dynasty, known also for his wit and conversation.
  • 桓玄 (Huan Xuan): A general and politician during Eastern Jin, known for his political ambitions.
  • 殷仲堪 (Yin Zhongkan): A notable nobleman and official in the Eastern Jin period.