言传身教

yán chuán shēn jiào

to teach by word and example

Character by character

言yán
words

传chuán
pass on

身shēn
body

教jiào
teach

父母的言传身教对孩子影响很大。

What parents say and do shapes their children deeply.

Tone: positive (praise).

传 chuán, 教 jiào. Usually about parents and teachers.

Learn it in context

This idiom and thousands more are in Learn Chinese with Bao, with audio, pinyin and drills that make them stick.