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言不由衷 (yán bù yóu zhōng) — to speak insincerely; to say something one doesn't truly mean; words that are not from the heart

Definition

A formal chengyu for speaking insincerely — words that don't match what one actually feels. Common in written Chinese to describe polite but hollow remarks, like 客套话.

idiom
to speak insincerelyto say something one doesn't truly meanwords that are not from the heart

Examples

  • ，言不由衷。
    Tā zuǐ shàng shuō zì jǐ méi shì, dàn shuí dōu kàn chū tā yán bù yóu zhōng.
    He said he was fine, but everyone could tell he was being insincere.
  • ，言不由衷。
    Zài nà zhǒng chǎng hé xià, tā bù dé bù yán bù yóu zhōng dì shuō jǐ jù kè tào huà.
    In that situation, she had to say a few polite words insincerely.
  • 言不由衷。
    yán bù yóu zhōng De zàn měi bǐ zhí jiē de pī píng gèng ràng rén bù shū fu.
    Insincere praise is more uncomfortable than direct criticism.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

It began as a drawing of new shoots or leaves growing upward from a plant-like base.

Open 由 →

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
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
中
中zhōng衷zhōng
Same sound today

The shape of 衷 combines 衣 (clothes) and 中 (middle; center), with 中 giving the sound.

Open 衷 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

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