从前，有一个人叫叶公。
Long ago, there was a man named Lord Ye.
他说他最喜欢龙。
He said he loved dragons most of all.
他的衣服上画着龙。
There were dragons painted on his clothes.
他的墙上、门上也都是龙。
His walls and doors were covered with dragons too.
天上的真龙听说了，很高兴。
A real dragon in the sky heard about this and was very happy.
真龙飞下来，到叶公家看他。
The real dragon flew down to Lord Ye's house to see him.
龙把大头放进窗户里。
The dragon put its big head in through the window.
叶公一看，吓得大叫，跑走了。
When Lord Ye saw it, he screamed in fear and ran away.
原来，他喜欢的不是真龙。
It turned out that what he loved was not real dragons.
这个成语是“叶公好龙”。
This idiom is "Lord Ye loves dragons."
意思是：嘴上说喜欢，其实不是真的喜欢。
It means: saying you love something when you don't really love it.
例句：他说喜欢狗，见了狗就跑，真是叶公好龙。
Example: He says he likes dogs but runs when he sees one — just like Lord Ye and his dragons.
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 从前 | cóng qián | in the past; once upon a time |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is, there are |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 叫 | jiào | to call; to be called |
| 叶 | yè | leaf; page; lobe; (surname Ye) |
| 公 | gōng | public; fair; impartial |
| 他说 | tā shuō | he says |
| 他 | tā | he; him |
| 最喜欢 | zuì xǐ huān | favorite |
| 龙 | lóng | dragon |
| 他的 | tā de | His |
| 衣服 | yī fu | clothes |
| 上 | shàng | up; on |
| 画 | huà | to draw; to paint; picture; painting |
| 着 | zhe | (aspect particle) indicating ongoing action |
| 墙上 | qiáng shàng | on the wall; the wall surface (location phrase) |
| 门 | mén | door; gate |
| 也 | yě | also |
| 都是 | dōu shì | all are; both are; it’s all (because of) |
| 天上 | tiān shàng | sky; heaven |
| 的 | de | possessive particle |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly |
| 听说 | tīng shuō | to hear (something said); hearsay |
| 了 | le | (particle indicating completed action or change of state) |
| 很高兴 | hěn gāo xìng | very happy; glad |
| 龙飞 | lóng fēi | to promote (to official position in former times) |
| 下来 | xià lai | to come down |
| 到 | dào | to arrive; to reach |
| 公家 | gōng jiā | the public; the state; society; the public purse |
| 看 | kàn | to look; to watch; to see |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; (structural particle indicating the object before the verb) |
| 大头 | dà tóu | big head; mask in the shape of a big head; the larger end of sth; the main part; the lion's share; dupe |
| 放进 | fàng jìn | to put into |
| 窗户 | chuāng hu | window |
| 里 | lǐ | inside; interior; within |
| 一看 | yī kàn | To take a look; as soon as one looks |
| 吓得 | xià de | so scared that |
| 大叫 | dà jiào | To shout; to yell |
| 跑走 | pǎo zǒu | to escape; to flee; to run away |
| 原来 | yuán lái | originally; as it turns out |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 成语 | chéng yǔ | idiom; set expression |
| 是 | shì | to be; correct |
| 叶公好龙 | yè gōng hào lóng | lit. Lord Ye's passion for dragons (idiom); fig. to pretend to be fond of sth while actually fearing it |
| 意思 | yì si | meaning; idea |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth; beak |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 其实 | qí shí | actually |
| 真的 | zhēn de | really; truly |
| 例句 | lì jù | example sentence |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet |
| 就 | jiù | then; just; precisely |
| 跑 | pǎo | to run |
| 真是 | zhēn shi | indeed; truly; (coll.) (used to express disapproval, annoyance etc) |