耍嘴皮子 shuǎ zuǐ pí zi play with words

Explanation

指光说不做，或只说不做，也指夸夸其谈，夸口，说大话，没有实际行动，也指卖弄口才（含贬义）。

Refers to someone who only talks and doesn't act, or who boasts and brags without taking any real action. It also means to show off one's eloquence (with a derogatory meaning).

Origin Story

从前，有个村庄里住着两个年轻人，一个叫阿力，一个叫阿强。阿力是个勤劳肯干的人，总是埋头苦干，很少说话。阿强则相反，他喜欢夸夸其谈，总是说自己有多么能干，能做多少大事，但实际上却很少动手做事。一天，村里要修建一座水坝，需要大家齐心协力。阿力默默地拿起工具，投入到紧张的施工中，汗流浃背地工作。而阿强呢，则在一边指手画脚，对这儿指点几句，对那儿评论几句，耍嘴皮子，却始终没有动手干活。结果，水坝如期完工，阿力因其辛勤劳作受到大家一致好评。而阿强，最终什么也没做成，他的夸夸其谈也成了村里的笑柄。

cóng qián, yǒu gè cūn zhuāng lǐ zhù zhe liǎng gè nián qīng rén, yī gè jiào ā lì, yī gè jiào ā qiáng. ā lì shì gè qín láo kěn gàn de rén, zǒng shì mái tóu kǔ gàn, hěn shǎo shuō huà. ā qiáng zé xiāng fǎn, tā xǐ huan kuā kuā qí tán, zǒng shì shuō zì jǐ yǒu duō me néng gàn, néng zuò duō shao dà shì, dàn shí jì shang què hěn shǎo dòng shǒu zuò shì. yī tiān, cūn lǐ yào xiū jiàn yī zuò shuǐ bà, xū yào dà jiā qí xīn xié lì. ā lì mò mò de ná qǐ gōng jù, tóu rù dào jǐn zhāng de shīgōng zhōng, hàn liú jiā bèi de gōng zuò. ér ā qiáng ne, zé zài yī biān zhǐ shǒu huà jiǎo, duì zhè ér zhǐ diǎn jǐ jù, duì nà ér píng lùn jǐ jù, shuǎ zuǐ pí zi, què shǐ zhōng méiyǒu dòng shǒu gàn huó. jié guǒ, shuǐ bà rú qī wán gōng, ā lì yīn qí xīn qín láo zuò shòu dào dà jiā yī zhì hǎo píng. ér ā qiáng, zuì zhōng shén me yě méi zuò chéng, tā de kuā kuā qí tán yě chéng le cūn lǐ de xiào bǐng.

Once upon a time, there were two young men in a village, one named Ali and the other Aqiang. Ali was a hardworking and diligent man, always working hard and rarely speaking. Aqiang, on the other hand, liked to boast and always talked about how capable he was and how many great things he could do, but in reality, he rarely did anything. One day, the village needed to build a dam, and everyone needed to work together. Ali silently picked up his tools and threw himself into the intense construction work, working until his back was soaked with sweat. Aqiang, however, stood on the sidelines, directing and commenting here and there, playing with words but never doing any real work. In the end, the dam was completed on schedule, and Ali was praised for his hard work. Aqiang, however, ended up doing nothing, and his boasting became the laughingstock of the village.

Usage

作谓语、宾语、定语；指卖弄口才，含贬义。

zuò wèiyǔ, bīnyǔ, dìngyǔ; zhǐ mài lòng kǒucái, hán biǎnyì.

Used as a predicate, object, or attributive; refers to showing off one's eloquence, often with a derogatory meaning.

Examples

• 他只会耍嘴皮子，一点实际行动都没有。

  tā zhǐ huì shuǎ zuǐ pí zi, yīdiǎn shíjì xíngdòng dōu méiyǒu.

  He only knows how to talk big; he doesn't take any real action.

• 别光耍嘴皮子，快动手干活吧！

  bié guāng shuǎ zuǐ pí zi, kuài dòngshǒu gàn huó ba！

  Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk!

Related Idioms

• 夸夸其谈

• 花言巧语

Opposite Idioms

• 说到做到

• 言行一致