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

Tā de dàoqiàn yánbùyóuzhōng, dàjiā dōu kànchū lái le.
His apology was insincere — everyone could tell.
Zhèngkè men yǒushíhou yánbùyóuzhōng, shuō de hé xiǎng de bùyī yàng.
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