葉公好龍

葉公好龍

Chinese

		leaf; page	just; honorable; public just; honorable; public; common; fair; duke; mister	good; well; be fond of	dragon; imperial; surname
trad. (葉公好龍)		葉	公	好	龍
simp. (叶公好龙)		叶	公	好	龙
Literally: “Lord Ye/She's fondness for dragons”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yègōnghàolóng, shègōnghàolóng

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄝˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄏㄠˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ, ㄕㄜˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄏㄠˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sip³ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴, jip⁶ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland)⁺
    • Pinyin: yègōnghàolóng
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄝˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄏㄠˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yehgonghawlong
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yègonghàolóng
    • IPA ^(key): /jɛ˥˩ kʊŋ˥ xɑʊ̯˥˩ lʊŋ˧˥/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan, literary variant in Mainland)⁺
    • Pinyin: shègōnghàolóng
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄜˋ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄏㄠˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shehgonghawlong
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shègonghàolóng
    • IPA ^(key): /ʂɤ˥˩ kʊŋ˥ xɑʊ̯˥˩ lʊŋ˧˥/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: sip³ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴, jip⁶ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴
    • Yale: sip gūng hou lùhng, yihp gūng hou lùhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sip⁸ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴, jip⁹ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xib³ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴, yib⁶ gung¹ hou³ lung⁴
    • IPA ^(key): /siːp˧ kʊŋ˥ hou̯˧ lʊŋ˨˩/, /jiːp˨ kʊŋ˥ hou̯˧ lʊŋ˨˩/

Idiom

葉公好龍

1. (figuratively) to pretend to be fond of something while actually fearing it