言不由衷

yánbù-yóuzhōng
idiom #29,259

Meanings

  1. 1 to say something without meaning it
  2. 2 to speak insincerely; to say one thing but mean another

Examples

HSK 6
Tā de dàoqiàn yánbù-yóuzhōng, dàjiā dōu kànchū lái le.
His apology was insincere - everyone could tell.
HSK 6
Zhèngkè men yǒushíhou yánbù-yóuzhōng, shuō de hé xiǎng de bùyīyàng.
Politicians sometimes say things they don't mean - what they say differs from what they think.

Tips

memory
Literally: (words) (not) (from) (heart/innermost). Words that don't come from the heart - insincere speech. The key character is , meaning the innermost feelings.

Stroke Order

yán
yóu
zhōng