hau2 wai6 ji4 sat6 bat1 zi3口惠而實不至口惠而实不至
Jyutpinghau2 wai6 ji4 sat6 bat1 zi3
Yaleháu waih yìh saht bāt ji
Definition
To make empty promises; to agree verbally but not follow through in action.
colloquialpeoplecommunication
How it's used
This idiom carries a strong sense of criticism towards someone who makes empty promises without any intention of following through. It is often used in professional or serious social contexts to call out insincerity. Unlike casual slang, it retains a slightly formal, literary flavor despite being used in everyday speech.
Examples
He is always just paying lip service, you cannot trust him.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple way to say someone is lying, but it specifically refers to the gap between verbal agreement and the lack of subsequent action. It is not used for simple factual falsehoods.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
