缄口不言 jiānkǒubùyán to keep silent Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 缄 緘 jiān to seal (bound form) to seal; to close; to keep silent as in 缄口 jiānkǒu or 缄默 jiānmò; to seal a letter (often used on envelopes following the sender's name)口 kǒu noun mouth mouth of a person or animal; (bound form) oral不 bù adverb not Negative adverb used before verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs to indicate negation; also used as a bound-form prefix to form terms with opposite meanings言 yán verbadverb to say to speak; to talk; to state or tell