yán jiào bù rú shēn jiàodictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
Explaining in words is not as good as teaching by example (idiom). Action speaks louder than words.
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-8a863a9fe5bce8a8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

言教不如身教 言教不如身教 [yan2 jiao4 bu4 ru2 shen1 jiao4] /Explaining in words is not as good as teaching by example (idiom). Action speaks louder than words./

Source material and teaching drafts have separate provenance. Long-term commercial licensing remains under review.

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.

言教不如身教
Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.