听其言而观其行
tīng​qí​yán'ér​guān​qí​xíng

judge someone by their actions

  1. 听 聽 tīng verb
    to listen
    to listen; to use the ears to receive sound
  2. 其 qí pronoun
    [third-person possessive]
    his; her; its; their; refers back to a person or thing mentioned previously
  3. 言 yán noun
    speech
    words; talk; what is said
  4. 而 ér conjunction
    and
    Used to connect words or phrases that are similar in nature; and; as well as; and also
  5. 观 觀 guān verb
    to look at
    to look at; to watch; to observe or behold
  6. 其 qí pronoun
    [third-person possessive]
    his; her; its; their; refers back to a person or thing mentioned previously
  7. 行 xíng noun
    behavior
    behavior; conduct; (bound form) one's actions