只说不做

只說不做
zhǐshuōbùzuò
to be all talk and no action

CEDICT

all talk and no action

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

=1 只 zhǐ only; merely; just
=1 只 zhǐ variant of 只 zhǐ
=1 只 zhǐ variant of 只 zhǐ
=2 说 shuō
  1. to speak; to talk; to say
  2. to explain; to comment
  3. to scold; to tell off
  4. (bound form) theory; doctrine
=2 说 shuō variant of 说 shuō
3 不 bù
  1. no; not so
  2. (bound form) not; un-
4 做 zuò
  1. to make; to produce
  2. to write; to compose
  3. to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc)
  4. (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, friends etc)
  5. (of a thing) to serve as; to be used for
  6. to assume (an air or manner)

Related entries

放空炮 fàngkōngpào
  1. (lit.) to fire blank shots
  2. (fig.) to be all talk and no action
  3. to shoot one's mouth off
  4. to make empty promises
有色无胆 yǒusèwúdǎn
  1. to be perverse and suggestive towards the opposite sex, but shrinking back when provoked to act on it
  2. to have perverted thoughts but no guts to actually do it
  3. to be all talk and no action
开弓不放箭 kāigōngbùfàngjiàn
  1. lit. to draw the bow without shooting the arrow (idiom)
  2. fig. to bluff
  3. to be all talk and no action
  4. false bravado