卖膏药

賣膏藥

màigāoyào

idiom

Meanings

1 to spout empty boasts; to talk big
2 to string people along; to keep them in suspense

Characters

paste; ointment

Examples

别听他卖膏药，一半是吹的。

Bié tīng tā màigāoyào, yí bàn shì chuī de.

Don't buy what he's peddling; half of it is hot air.

你就别卖膏药了，直接说结果。

Nǐ jiù bié màigāoyào le, zhíjiē shuō jiéguǒ.

Stop stringing us along and just tell us the result.

Tips

culture

Refers to street-corner medicine peddlers of old China who hawked miracle 膏药 (medicinal plasters) with long, loud sales pitches. The term carries both senses: exaggerated self-promotion, and dragging out a story to build suspense before the punchline.

Stroke Order

卖 mài

膏 gāo

药 yào