空口无凭 (kōng kǒu wú píng) — (idiom) a mere verbal statement is no guarantee; oral promises lack proof; words alone are not enough

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'spoken words alone are no proof.' Use it to insist on written evidence (a contract, receipt, IOU) when someone makes a verbal promise.

idiom
a mere verbal statement is no guaranteeoral promises lack proofwords alone are not enough

Examples

  • 空口无凭，。
    kōng kǒu wú píng, Wǒ men hái shì qiān gè hé tong ba.
    Words alone are no guarantee — let's just sign a contract.
  • ，空口无凭，。
    Tā shuō huì hái qián, dàn kōng kǒu wú píng, nǐ dé ràng tā xiě qiàn tiáo.
    He says he'll pay back the money, but oral promises aren't proof — you need to have him write an IOU.
  • 空口无凭，，。
    kōng kǒu wú píng, Méi yǒu shū miàn de zhèng jù, fǎ yuàn bú huì cǎi nà.
    Words alone are no proof — without written evidence, the court won't accept it.

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 憑; 凭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
馮
馮féng憑píng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 憑, 心 relates to the heart or mind, and 馮 gives the sound. The simplified 凭 is a later abbreviation, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 凭 →

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