năng thuyết bất năng hành
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Able to say, unable to do — eloquence with no hands attached.
Literally: can speak, cannot perform
Examples
Toàn kế hoạch suông, năng thuyết bất năng hành.All talk of plans — able to say, unable to do.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “năng thuyết bất năng hành” mean?
Able to say, unable to do — eloquence with no hands attached. Literally: can speak, cannot perform
Is “năng thuyết bất năng hành” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.