言而无信 yan ér wú xìn Breach of promise

Explanation

指说话不算数,没有信用。这是一个人品德方面非常重要的方面。言而无信的人,难以得到别人的信任和尊重。

It means not keeping one's word and having no credit. This is a very important aspect of personal character. People who do not keep their word find it difficult to gain the trust and respect of others.

Origin Story

从前,有个小男孩叫小明,他喜欢吹牛,经常对小伙伴们夸下海口,承诺的事情却常常忘记或做不到。有一次,他答应小伙伴们一起去看电影,结果却自己跑去玩游戏,小伙伴们很生气,都不再相信他了。从此以后,小明再也不敢轻易许诺了,他知道言而无信会失去朋友的信任。

cong qian, you ge xiao nan hai jiao xiao ming, ta xihuan chui niu, jing chang dui xiao huoban men kua xia hai kou, chengnuo de shiqing que chang chang wangji huo zuo bu dao. you yi ci, ta daying xiao huoban men yiqi qu kan dianying, jieguo que zi ji pao qu wan youxi, xiao huoban men hen shengqi, dou bu zai xiangxin ta le. cong ci yi hou, xiao ming zai ye bu gan qingyi xunuo le, ta zhidao yan er wu xin hui shiqu pengyou de xinren.

Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Xiaoming who liked to boast and often made big promises to his friends that he would often forget or fail to keep. Once, he promised his friends that they would go to the movies together, but instead he went to play video games. His friends were very angry and no longer trusted him. From then on, Xiaoming dared not make promises easily anymore, because he knew that breaking his word would cause him to lose his friends’ trust.

Usage

通常作谓语、定语;用于批评、指责或劝诫。

tong chang zuo weiyu, dingyu; yong yu piping, zhi ze huo quan jie.

Usually used as a predicate or attributive; used for criticism, reproach or admonition.

Examples

  • 他言而无信,大家都不再相信他了。

    ta yan er wu xin, da jia dou bu zai xiangxin ta le.

    He broke his promise, and no one trusts him anymore.

  • 做人要言而有信,不能言而无信。

    zuo ren yao yan er you xin, bu neng yan er wu xin.

    We should keep our promises and not break them.