纸上谈兵

紙上談兵

zhǐshàngtánbīng

idiom #29,260

Meanings

1 to talk about military tactics on paper
2 armchair strategist; idle theorizing that is useless in practice

Characters

to talk; to discuss

soldiers; military; war

Examples

他只会纸上谈兵，从来没有实际经验。

Tā zhǐ huì zhǐshàngtánbīng, cónglái méiyǒu shíjì jīngyàn.

He can only theorize on paper — he has never had real experience.

这个方案听起来很好，但不能纸上谈兵，要付诸实践。

Zhège fāng'àn tīng qǐlái hěn hǎo, dàn bù néng zhǐshàngtánbīng, yào fùzhū shíjiàn.

This plan sounds good, but we can't just theorize — it needs to be put into practice.

Tips

history

This idiom refers to Zhao Kuo (赵括), a Warring States general who was an expert in military theory but had no battlefield experience. His father, the renowned general Zhao She, warned that Zhao Kuo could only 'talk about war on paper.' In 260 BC, Zhao Kuo led 400,000 troops to total annihilation at the Battle of Changping against Qin's general Bai Qi.

Stroke Order

纸 zhǐ

上 shàng

谈 tán

兵 bīng