食言而肥
shí​yán'ér​féi

to break a promise

  • created sense approved 食言而肥 · shí​yán'ér​féi · to break a promise — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    食言而肥

    shí​yán'ér​féi

    to break a promise

    literally "to grow fat eating one's words"; to fail to live up to one's promises or be untrustworthy; used to describe someone who constantly goes back on their word

    食言 (literal) → 食言 · shí​yán · to break a promise 而 (literal) → 而 · ér · [adverbial linker] 肥 (literal) → 肥 · féi · to enrich oneself

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense