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 4
Tā de dàoqiàn yánbù-yóuzhōng, dàjiā dōu kànchū lái le.
His apology was insincere - everyone could tell.
HSK 7-9
Zhèngkèmen 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: 言 (words) 不 (not) 由 (from) 衷 (heart/innermost). Words that don't come from the heart - insincere speech. The key character is 衷, meaning the innermost feelings.

Stroke Order

言 yán
不 bù
由 yóu
衷 zhōng