by / through (the) word of mouth

/baɪ θɹuː ðə wˈɜːd ɒv mˈaʊθ/

/baɪ θɹuː ðə wˈɜːd ʌv mˈaʊθ/

[phrase]

[PHRASE]

by telling others rather than writing or showing it to them

synonyms : viva voce

Examples

1. The story has been passed down by word of mouth.

2. People were so excited to talk about the stories to their friends, that it soon spread by word of mouth.

3. Even without Polo’s help to keep her memory alive, Khutulun’s story was so incredible, that it had been passed down by word of mouth in China for hundreds of years.

4. Despite the fact that she was barely mentioned in these texts of the Mongolian empire, the story of her strength was so fascinating, it was still passed along by both Mongolian and Chinese people by word of mouth.