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Chinese/Dictionary entry

言不由衷

yán bù yóu zhōngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to say sth without meaning it (idiom) / to speak tongue in cheek / saying one thing but meaning sth different
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-8347c67e827e1c43. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

言不由衷 言不由衷 [yan2 bu4 you2 zhong1] /to say sth without meaning it (idiom); to speak tongue in cheek/saying one thing but meaning sth different/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 言
    yán

    words / speech / to say / to talk

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 由
    yóu

    to follow / from / because of / due to / by / via / through / (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...

  • 衷
    zhōng

    inner feelings

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.