开弓不放箭 in English kai1 gong1 bu4 fang4 jian4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to draw the bow without shooting the arrow (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to bluff
  • to be all talk and no action
  • false bravado

Simplified Characters

开 弓 不 放 箭

Traditional Characters

開 弓 不 放 箭

Pinyin

kai1 gong1 bu4 fang4 jian4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

开kai1to open 弓gong1surname Gong 不bu4(negative prefix) 放fang4to put 箭jian4arrow