嘴甜心苦

嘴甜心苦

1. Someone who speaks pleasantly while secretly worried, burdened, or suffering.

   她嘴甜心苦，常常笑着安慰別人，卻默默承受自己的苦衷 [MSC, trad.]
   她嘴甜心苦，常常笑着安慰别人，却默默承受自己的苦衷 [MSC, simp.]

   tā zuǐtiánxīnkǔ, chángcháng xiào zhuó ānwèi biérén, què mòmò chéngshòu zìjǐ de kǔzhōng [Pinyin]

   She speaks kindly but carries a heavy heart, often smiling to comfort others while quietly bearing her own burdens.

2. Someone who seems kind or flattering outwardly but harbors ill intent or secretly schemes.

   那些人兒，嘴甜心苦，你要仔細提防。 [MSC, trad.]
   那些人儿，嘴甜心苦，你要仔细提防。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nàxiē rén'ér, zuǐtiánxīnkǔ, nǐ yào zǐxì tífáng. [Pinyin]

   Those people speak sweetly but have bitter hearts; you need to be very cautious.

• Can be used in both literary and spoken Chinese.
• Tone depends on context: neutral/empathetic or negative/malicious.