The teacher often says: what you get from paper feels shallow — you really know it only by practicing.
Tips
history
From Lu You 陆游's Southern Song poem 《冬夜读书示子聿》: ‘纸上得来终觉浅，绝知此事要躬行。’ (What is learned on paper always feels shallow; to truly know a thing you must do it yourself.) One of the most quoted lines in modern Chinese education.
usage
Usually paired with the preceding line 纸上得来终觉浅. 躬行 (gōngxíng) = to practise personally, with one's own body — the adverb 躬 is classical for ‘in person.’
