土牛木马

土牛木馬

tǔniú-mùmǎ

idiom

Meanings

1 clay ox and wooden horse
2 shape without substance
3 useless figurehead

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

他批评这些政策只是土牛木马。

Tā pīpíng zhèxiē zhèngcè zhǐshì tǔniú-mùmǎ.

He criticized these policies as form without substance.

HSK 7-9

这种空头职位不过是土牛木马，没有实权。

Zhè zhǒng kōngtóu zhíwèi búguò shì tǔniú-mùmǎ, méiyǒu shíquán.

This kind of empty title is just a clay ox and wooden horse - no real authority.

HSK 7-9

再漂亮的计划如果不能落实也是土牛木马。

Zài piàoliang de jìhuà rúguǒ bù néng luòshí yě shì tǔniú-mùmǎ.

However nice a plan looks, if it can't be carried out it's just a clay ox and wooden horse.

Tips

history

From 《关尹子·八筹》: 譬如见土牛木马，虽情存牛马之名，而心忘牛马之实 - clay oxen and wooden horses look like the real thing but can't plough or carry. Used to call out things that have the name without the function.

Stroke Order

土 tǔ

牛 niú

木 mù

马 mǎ