yè 叶 gōng 公 hào 好 lóng 龙

叶公好龙 yè gōng hào lóng

professed love of what one really fears; enthusiasm that is only skin-deep

Literally: Ye lord love dragon

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Origin

From the Xinxu by Liu Xiang: Lord Ye decorated his whole house with dragons, but when a real dragon came to visit he fled in terror.

How to use it

Predicate; negative, mocking. Often 他对……的爱好不过是叶公好龙.

Example sentences

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他说喜欢冒险，可是一到山上就害怕，真是叶公好龙。

Tā shuō xǐhuan màoxiǎn, kěshì yī dào shān shàng jiù hàipà, zhēnshi yè gōng hào lóng.

He says he loves adventure, but the moment he's on the mountain he's scared; his enthusiasm is only skin-deep.

he say like adventure, but once arrive mountain on then afraid, truly Ye lord love dragon
很多人说要学习，其实是叶公好龙，从来不打开书。

Hěn duō rén shuō yào xuéxí, qíshí shì yè gōng hào lóng, cónglái bù dǎkāi shū.

Many people say they want to study but it's all talk; they never open a book.

very many person say want study, actually is Ye lord love dragon, ever not open book

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