entries → 吞吞吐吐
TSUMUGU · TOCFL C1 (est.) · 詞
吞吞吐吐 word · TOCFL C1 (est.)
吞吞吐吐 ＝ 吞 ＋ 吐
ㄊㄨㄣ ㄊㄨˇ · tūntūntǔtǔ
idiom — to speak haltingly, to hem and haw, to hold something back

字源 FORM — what the parts do

吞to swallow (吞下)tūn
吐to spit out, to say (吐出)tǔ
吞吞吐吐，吞下的吞，吐出的吐。

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

話到嘴邊，吞（吞）回去一半，吐（吐）出來一半。
The words reach the lips — half swallowed (吞) back down, half spat (吐) out.
記憶法
關 · Related
吞吐tūntǔthe base form — 吞吞吐吐 is its reduplicated colloquial doubling