口说无凭 kǒu shuō wú píng bare words

Explanation

比喻空口说话，没有证据，不足为凭。

Means that mere words without proof are insufficient.

Origin Story

从前，有一个村庄里住着一位老农。他辛辛苦苦种了一年的田，眼看着就要收割了，却发现庄稼被人偷走了。老农气愤不已，跑到村长那里告状。他声泪俱下地讲述了被盗的经过，但村长却说：“口说无凭，你得拿出证据来。”老农急得抓耳挠腮，可他确实没有证据证明是谁偷了他的庄稼。村长无奈地摇摇头，只好让老农回去。老农沮丧地回到家里，心里盘算着如何才能找到证据。他仔细回忆了事情的经过，发现那天晚上，他隐隐约约听到隔壁老王家的狗叫声。第二天，他找到老王，老王承认了偷盗的事实。原来老王夜间偷偷溜进老农的田里，他的狗在远处叫唤，给老农留下了线索。最终，老王被村长惩罚，老农也拿回了属于他的庄稼。

congqian,you yige cunzhuang li zhùzhe yige laonong.ta xinkukuxinku zhongle yinian detian,yan zhe kanzhe jiuyào shouge le,que faxian zhuangjia bei ren touzou le.laonong qifen buyi,pao dao cunzhang nali gaozhuang.ta shengleijuku xia de jiangshu le bei dao de jingguo,dan cunzhang que shuo:'koushuowuping,nide nachu zhengjulailai.'laonong jide zhua'er naosai,ke ta que shi meiyou zhengju zhengming shi shei tou le ta de zhuangjia.cunzhang wunai de yaoyaotou,zhihao rang laonong huiguile.laonong jusang de huidao jiali,xinli pansuan zhe ruhe caineng zhaodao zhengju.ta zixide huiji le shiqing de jingguo,faxian neitian wanshang,ta yinyin yuoyue tingdao gebi laowang jia de gou jiaosheng.diertian,ta zhaodao laowang,laowang chengren le toudao de shi shi.yuanlai laowang yejian toutou liu jin laonong de tianli,tade gou zai yuanchu jiaohuan,gei laonong liu xia le xiansuo.zhōngjiù,laowang bei cunzhang chengfa,laonong ye na huai le shuyu ta de zhuangjia.

Once upon a time, there was an old farmer who worked hard all year. Just before the harvest, he found that all his crops had been stolen. Furious, he went to the village elder and accused a neighbor of theft. But the elder said, "Bare words aren't enough." The farmer couldn't produce any evidence and had to go home sadly. At home, he thought hard about how to find evidence. He remembered that on the night of the theft, the neighbor's dogs had barked. The next day, he confronted the neighbor, who eventually confessed. The neighbor was punished, and the farmer got his harvest back.

Usage

用于表示说话没有证据，不能作为凭据。

yongyu biaoshi shuohua meiyou zhengju,buneng zuowei pingju

Used to express that words without evidence cannot serve as proof.

Examples

• 你光说不练，口说无凭，拿不出证据来，我怎么相信你？

  ni guangshuobullian,koushuowuping,nachubuzhengjulailai,wo zenmexiangxinni?

  You only talk, no proof, I don't believe you.

• 空口无凭，拿出证据来！”

  kongkouwuping,nachuzhengjulailai

  Bare words aren't enough, show me the evidence!

Related Idioms

• 空口白话

• 信口开河

Opposite Idioms

• 确凿无疑

• 铁证如山