夸夸其谈 kuā kuā qí tán Boastful talk

Explanation

形容说话浮夸不切实际。

Describes someone who talks boastfully and unrealistically.

Origin Story

话说，在一个热闹的集市上，一个卖西瓜的商贩正卖力地吆喝着，他一边用刀敲打着西瓜，一边大声地夸赞着：“我的西瓜又大又甜，汁多味美，绝对是上等的货色！”不少人被他夸得心动，纷纷上前购买。其中，有个路过的老先生，看到商贩如此吹嘘，不禁笑了起来。他走上前，指着西瓜问道：“你为什么如此夸赞你的西瓜？莫非你是怕别人不知道它的好？”商贩见老先生质疑，便更加大声地说：“我当然要夸我的西瓜，只有这样才能吸引更多的人来买！难道你还不懂？”老先生摇摇头，笑着说：“这西瓜好不好，可不是靠你夸就能定的，还是要用事实说话！你光夸夸其谈，却不见得西瓜真的如你所说那么好。”说完，老先生就走开了。

huà shuō, zài yī gè rè nào de jí shì shàng, yī gè mài xī guā de shāng fàn zhèng mài lì de yāo hē zhe, tā yī biān yòng dāo qiāo dǎ zhe xī guā, yī biān dà shēng de kuā zàn zhe：“wǒ de xī guā yòu dà yòu tián, zhī duō wèi měi, jué duì shì shàng děng de huò sè！”bù shǎo rén bèi tā kuā de xīn dòng, fēn fēn shàng qián gòu mǎi. qí zhōng, yǒu gè lù guò de lǎo xiān shēng, kàn dào shāng fàn rú cǐ chuī xū, bù jīn xiào le qǐ lái. tā zǒu shàng qián, zhǐ zhe xī guā wèn dào：“nǐ wèi shén me rú cǐ kuā zàn nǐ de xī guā？mò fēi nǐ shì pà bié rén bù zhī dào tā de hǎo？”shāng fàn jiàn lǎo xiān shēng zhí yí, biàn gèng jiā dà shēng de shuō：“wǒ dāng rán yào kuā wǒ de xī guā, zhǐ yǒu zhè yàng cái néng xī yǐn gèng duō de rén lái mǎi！nán dào nǐ hái bù dǒng？”lǎo xiān shēng yáo yáo tóu, xiào zhe shuō：“zhè xī guā hǎo bù hǎo, kě bù shì kào nǐ kuā jiù néng dìng de, hái yào yòng shì shí shuō huà！nǐ guāng kuā kuā qí tán, què bú jiàn dé xī guā zhēn de rú nǐ suǒ shuō nà me hǎo.”shuō wán, lǎo xiān shēng jiù zǒu kāi le.

Once upon a time, in a bustling market, a watermelon vendor was enthusiastically hawking his wares. He pounded on the watermelons with his knife, shouting, "My watermelons are big and sweet, juicy and delicious, the best quality you'll find!" Many people, intrigued by his praise, flocked to buy them. However, an old gentleman passing by, seeing the vendor's boasting, couldn't help but chuckle. He approached the vendor and, pointing at the watermelons, asked, "Why do you praise your watermelons so much? Are you afraid people won't know how good they are?" The vendor, irritated by the old man's questioning, shouted even louder, "Of course I have to praise my watermelons! It's the only way to attract more customers! Don't you understand?" The old man shook his head, smiling. "Whether a watermelon is good or not doesn't depend on your praise, but on the truth! You're just bragging, but it doesn't mean the watermelons are actually as good as you say." With that, the old man walked away.

Usage

常用于批评人爱说大话，不切实际，或指那些言过其实的言论。

cháng yòng yú pī píng rén ài shuō dà huà, bù qiē shí jì, huò zhǐ nà xiē yán guò qí shí de yán lùn.

Often used to criticize someone who boasts and makes unrealistic claims, or to refer to statements that are exaggerated.

Examples

• 他总是夸夸其谈，却很少实干。

  tā zǒng shì kuā kuā qí tán, què hěn shǎo shí gàn.

  He's always bragging but does little work.

• 不要以为夸夸其谈就能获得成功。

  bù yào yǐ wéi kuā kuā qí tán jiù néng huò dé chéng gōng

  Don't think that you can achieve success by bragging.

Related Idioms

• 吹嘘

• 吹牛

• 自吹自擂

Opposite Idioms

• 沉默寡言

• 谦虚谨慎