CHENGYU
纸上谈兵(zhǐ shàng tán bīng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal
- Source:
- 《史记·廉颇蔺相如列传》
MEANING
- Literal
- to discuss warfare on paper
- Figurative meaning
- empty talk with no practical skill; armchair strategy
ORIGIN STORY
Zhao Kuo of the Warring States could debate military texts brilliantly, yet in his first real command at Changping he led his army to catastrophic defeat.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“armchair general”
EXAMPLES
光说不行，纸上谈兵是没有用的。Guāng shuō bù xíng, zhǐ shàng tán bīng shì méiyǒu yòng de.HSK6
Talk alone is useless — it is just armchair strategy.
他只会纸上谈兵，真做起来什么也不会。Tā zhǐ huì zhǐ shàng tán bīng, zhēn zuò qǐlái shénme yě bù huì.HSK6
He only talks a good game; when it comes to doing, he cannot do a thing.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It criticizes theory without practice — not careful planning before action.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01