TongTong
Sign in

夸夸其谈 (kuā kuā qí tán) — to talk big; to boast emptily; bombastic; grandiose but empty (of speech or writing)

Definition

A four-character idiom for empty, pompous talk with no substance. Unlike 吹牛 (a simple verb 'to brag'), 夸夸其谈 is a written, critical label for bombastic speech itself, and contrasts with 侃侃而谈 (confident, substantive speech).

phrase
to talk bigto boast emptilybombasticgrandiose but empty (of speech or writing)

Examples

  • 夸夸其谈，。
    Tā xiě le yì piān kuā kuā qí tán de bào gào, yí kàn jiù bú qiè shí jì.
    He wrote a bombastic report that is clearly unrealistic.
  • 夸夸其谈，。
    Zhè ge hòu xuǎn rén zǒng shì kuā kuā qí tán, xuǎn mín dōu bú xìn rèn tā.
    This candidate always talks big; the voters don't trust him.
  • 夸夸其谈，。
    Nǐ bié kuā kuā qí tán le, xiān bǎ jì huà xiě chū lái zài shuō.
    Stop boasting emptily — write down the plan first before you talk.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dàman
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú夸kuā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

夸 is built from 大, a standing man, above 于, which gives the sound.

Open 夸 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dàman
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú夸kuā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

夸 is built from 大, a standing man, above 于, which gives the sound.

Open 夸 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

Open 其 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 談; 谈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán談tán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 谈, the traditional form 談 pairs 言 (speech) with 炎 (yán) as the sound part.

Open 谈 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.