盘马弯弓 circling horse, bending bow
Explanation
形容摆开架势，准备作战。后比喻故做惊人的姿态，实际上并不立即行动。
It describes the posture of preparing for battle. Later, it is used metaphorically for an impressive appearance without immediate action.
Origin Story
唐朝时期，韩愈年轻时曾担任武军节度使张建的幕僚。一次，张建率军打猎，韩愈随行。张建为了炫耀武力，在猎物出现时，故意摆出威武的姿态，骑马盘旋，弯弓搭箭，却迟迟不射。韩愈看到这一幕，有感而发，写下了《雉带箭》一诗，其中就有“将军欲以巧伏人，盘马弯弓惜不发”的诗句，生动地描绘了张建“盘马弯弓”的场景，也暗含了对张建虚张声势的批评。
During the Tang Dynasty, when Han Yu was young, he served as a staff member for Zhang Jian, the military governor. Once, Zhang Jian led his troops on a hunt, and Han Yu accompanied him. In order to show off his military might, when the game appeared, Zhang Jian deliberately adopted a majestic posture, rode his horse in circles, drew his bow, but hesitated to shoot. Seeing this, Han Yu was inspired to write a poem titled "The Quail with the Arrow," which includes the line "The general wants to cleverly ambush people, circling his horse and bending his bow, but he hesitates to shoot." This vividly depicts Zhang Jian's scene of "circling his horse and bending his bow," but it also implicitly criticizes Zhang Jian's empty posturing.
Usage
用于形容故作姿态，虚张声势，却缺乏实际行动的人或事。
Used to describe people or things that make a great show of things, but lack real action.
Examples
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他总是故作姿态，盘马弯弓，却从不真正采取行动。
ta zong shi gu zuo zitai, pan ma wan gong, que cong bu zhen zheng caiqu xingdong.
He always makes a great show of things, drawing his bow and arrow but never actually taking action.
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会议上，他盘马弯弓，一番慷慨陈词，却始终没有切中要害。
huiyi shang, ta pan ma wan gong, yifang kangkai chen ci, que zhongshi meiyou qiezhong yaohai
At the meeting, he made a big speech, but he never got to the point of the matter.