紙上談兵

Chinese

		on paper	to discuss military tactics
trad. (紙上談兵)		紙上	談兵
simp. (纸上谈兵)		纸上	谈兵
Literally: “to discuss military tactics on paper”.

Etymology

See Zhao Kuo on Wikipedia.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zhǐshàngtánbīng

  (Zhuyin): ㄓˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄊㄢˊ ㄅㄧㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi² soeng⁶ taam⁴ bing¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chóa-siōng-tâm-peng / chóa-siāng-tâm-peng

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhǐshàngtánbīng
    • Zhuyin: ㄓˇ ㄕㄤˋ ㄊㄢˊ ㄅㄧㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhǐhshàngtánbing
    • Wade–Giles: chih³-shang⁴-tʻan²-ping¹
    • Yale: jř-shàng-tán-bīng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jyyshanqtarnbing
    • Palladius: чжишантаньбин (čžišantanʹbin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ tʰän³⁵ piŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi² soeng⁶ taam⁴ bing¹
    • Yale: jí seuhng tàahm bīng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi² soeng⁶ taam⁴ bing¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji² sêng⁶ tam⁴ bing¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː³⁵ sœːŋ²² tʰaːm²¹ pɪŋ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chóa-siōng-tâm-peng
    • Tâi-lô: tsuá-siōng-tâm-ping
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zoafsioxngdampefng
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sua⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ tam²⁴⁻¹¹ piɪŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sua⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ³³⁻²¹ tam²³⁻³³ piɪŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sua⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɔŋ²²⁻²¹ tam²⁴⁻²² piɪŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chóa-siāng-tâm-peng
    • Tâi-lô: tsuá-siāng-tâm-ping
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zoafsiaxngdampefng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sua⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³⁻²¹ tam²³⁻³³ piɪŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sua⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siaŋ³³⁻¹¹ tam²⁴⁻¹¹ piɪŋ⁴⁴/

Idiom

紙上談兵

1. to engage in theoretical discussion that is worse than useless in practice; armchair strategist; idle theorizing