高谈阔论
gāo tán kuò lùn
to hold forth at length; big talk with little substance
Character by character
高gāo
lofty
lofty
谈tán
talk
talk
阔kuò
broad
broad
论lùn
discourse
discourse
Example
他在饭桌上高谈阔论国际形势，自己的工作却做得一塌糊涂。
At the dinner table he holds forth on world affairs, but his own work is a complete mess.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
Usually critical: grand, loud talk cut off from practice, often set against 脚踏实地 or 实干. It can be neutral for spirited conversation (几个老同学高谈阔论到深夜), but in argument it is a put-down.
Learn this in Lesson 257 · HSK 9+: 问题与主义 (Problems and isms)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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