Studying Chinese by learning a valuable idiom: “纸上谈兵(zhi3 shang4 tan2 bing1)”

The idiom "纸上谈兵 (zhǐshàngtánbīng) armchair strategy" refers to people who engage in idle talk, but are unable to act on their high minded theories. It is usually used to urge people to combine theories with practical knowledge and not be bookworms. It’s not basic Chinese for children, it’s a little bit difficult Chinese for teens. Now, let's read about the origin of the idiom below.

The general Zhao Kuo of Zhao Dynasty studied military strategy and tactics from childhood. But he could only talk about military strategies on paper; he never went to the battlefield. So he was not good at the art of war. When Zhao Kuo became a general, he changed all the military laws and appointed officers thoughtlessly. As a result, Zhao Kuo's army suffered a severe defeat in the famous Campaign of Changping. Zhao Kuo himself died in the war and the Zhao Dynasty was unable to recover from the defeat.

And then, for studying Chinese usefully we often read some instance:

Xuéxí bù néng zhǐshàngtánbīng, yào huó xué huó yòng cái xíng.
学习   不  能       纸上谈兵，         要   活    学   活    用     才   行。
Learning is not about empty talk. You need to use what you learn.

Yào chénggōng jiù yào fùzhū xíngdòng, zhǐ kào zhǐshàngtánbīng shì bù xíng de.
要     成功           就  要   付诸     行动，    只 靠      纸上谈兵         是  不  行   的。
You must act if you want to succeed. It is no use to be an armchair strategist.

Next time, I’ll show you some basic Mandarin for kids. Bye!