言不由衷 — “To speak insincerely”
言不由衷 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to speak insincerely”. To say something one doesn't truly mean; to be hypocritical in speech. Literally, “words not from the heart”.
言不由衷 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 言yán
- 不bù
- 由yóu
- 衷zhōng
言不由衷 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 言不由衷
Origin and Story of 言不由衷
During the Spring and Autumn period, the vassal state of Zheng was powerful. Duke Zhuang of Zheng served as a high minister (Qingshi) of the Zhou dynasty, wielding great power in the court. Relying on his influence and status, he held the Zhou emperor in contempt.
King Ping of Zhou, who was the emperor at the time, was a weak and incompetent ruler. He had to rely on Duke Zhuang of Zheng to manage the Zhou court's affairs, yet he deeply trusted a certain Duke Jifu and wanted him to replace Duke Zhuang of Zheng in handling the court. When Duke Zhuang of Zheng learned of this, he became extremely displeased with King Ping of Zhou. King Ping, greatly alarmed, quickly explained to Duke Zhuang that he had no intention of having Jifu replace him. To gain Duke Zhuang's trust, King Ping and Duke Zhuang exchanged hostages: Crown Prince Hu of Zhou went to Zheng as a hostage, and Prince Hu of Zheng came to the Zhou court as a hostage.
In 720 BC, King Ping of Zhou died, and his grandson Ji Lin succeeded him, known as King Huan of Zhou. King Huan also wanted Jifu to replace Duke Zhuang of Zheng as the high minister in charge of the court's affairs. Upon learning this, Duke Zhuang of Zheng was enraged. He dispatched his high official Zhai Zu (祭足) to lead troops to harvest wheat in Wen, a territory of the Zhou dynasty, and transport all of it to Zheng. In autumn, Zhai Zu again led troops to Cheng Zhou, another Zhou territory, harvested all the grains there, and brought them back to Zheng.
From then on, the relationship between the two states deteriorated further, and a deep animosity formed between them. Words not spoken from the heart, even exchanging hostages is useless. This was the incisive comment made by the historians of the time regarding this matter.
Idioms Related to 言不由衷
Synonyms of 言不由衷
Antonyms of 言不由衷
More idioms starting with 言
- yán言sān三yǔ语sì四chatter away
- yán言bù不èr二jià价fixed price, no bargaining
- yán言bù不jí及yì义talk about trivial matters
- yán言bù不jí及sī私speech not involving private matters
- yán言bù不jí及xíng行all talk and no action
- yán言bù不jìn尽yì意Words cannot fully express meaning
- yán言bù不yuàn愿xíng行words and actions do not match
- yán言bù不yóu由zhōng中speak insincerely
- yán言bù不guǐ诡suí随speak without deceit or opportunism
- yán言bù不ān谙diǎn典speak without classical allusions
- yán言bù不jiàn践xíng行fail to act on one's words
- yán言bù不dá达yì意words fail to convey meaning
Questions about 言不由衷
- What does 言不由衷 mean?
- 言不由衷 (yán bù yóu zhōng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to speak insincerely”.
- How do you pronounce 言不由衷?
- 言不由衷 is pronounced yán bù yóu zhōng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 言不由衷 literally mean?
- Literally, 言不由衷 means “words not from the heart”. It is used to mean “to speak insincerely”.
- Where does 言不由衷 come from?
- 言不由衷 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 言不由衷?
- 由：从；衷：内心。话不是打心眼里说出来的，即说的不是真心话。指心口不一致。