叶公好龙
- Literal
- Lord Ye loved dragons.
- Figurative
- To profess a love or admiration for something one does not actually want or welcome when it appears for real; to like the image of a thing, not the thing itself.
Where does 叶公好龙 come from?
It is told that Lord Ye (Shen Zhuliang, courtesy name Zigao) loved dragons so much that he filled his house with carved and painted dragons, on the furniture, the walls, and his clothes. Hearing of this, a real dragon came down from the sky to visit him and poked its head through the window. But on seeing the true dragon, Lord Ye turned pale with terror and fled in panic. Thus it was clear that he did not love dragons at all, only their image.
Source (出处): 《新序》
How is 叶公好龙 used? Two examples
- 他说爱读书，其实叶公好龙，书架的书从没翻过。
He says he loves reading, but it's just "Lord Ye and his dragons": the books on the shelf he has never once opened.
- 别叶公好龙，真要养狗就得每天遛它喂它。
Don't be like Lord Ye with his dragons: if you really want a dog, you have to walk it and feed it every day.
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