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

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