Chinese Idiom Explained: 叶公好龙
August 20, 2022
"叶公好龙" (yè gōng hào lóng) is a popular Chinese idiom that comes from Chapter 5 of a book called Xinxu, by Liu Xiang in the Han Dynasty, and can be literally translated as “Lord Ye’s love of Dragons” in English.
In this blog, we want to share with you both the Chinese and the English retelling of the original story behind "叶公好龙" (yè gōng hào lóng), what it means, as well as how to use it in a sentence.
Let’s dive in!
有个叫叶公的人，特别喜欢龙，他家的屋梁上、柱子上和门窗上都雕刻着龙的花纹图案，甚至连酒壶、酒杯上也刻着栩栩如生的龙。渐渐的，叶公极喜欢龙的消息传到了天宫中真龙的耳朵里，真龙很是感动：没想到人间还有一个这样喜欢我的人，我一定要下去看看他。真龙专程来到叶公家里，龙头搭在窗台上探望，龙尾伸到了厅堂里。叶公一看是真龙，顿时吓得面无血色，抱头就跑。真龙感到莫名其妙，很是失望地走了。原来，叶公并不是真的喜欢龙，他喜欢的只不过是那些像龙的东西而不是龙。
There once a was a man called Lord Ye, who was particularly fond of dragons. Patterns and images of dragons were carved all along the beams, columns, doors and windows of his house. He even had realistic carvings of dragons on his wine vessels and wine glasses.
As time went on, Lord Ye’s infatuation with dragons slowly reached the ears of the real dragon in the heavenly palace, and the real dragon was touched: “I didn’t expect that someone in the human realm would take such a liking to me, I must go down and see him.”
The real dragon set forth for Lord Ye’s home. Its head hung at the window as he peered in, and its tail reached into the hall. When Lord Ye saw it was a real dragon, the blood drained from his face instantly, and he ran clutching his head in fear. The dragon was perplexed and left disappointed. As it turns out, Lord Ye did not actually like dragons. He only liked things that were like dragons, and not the dragon itself.
这个成语的意思是比喻自称爱好某种事物，实际上并不是真正爱好，甚至是惧怕、反感。
This idiom is a metaphor for a self-proclaimed hobby or interest, but in reality it is not something you really like: it might actually be something you are scared of and repulsed by.
叶公 yè gōng (Lord Ye)
好 hào (to like, to love)
龙 lóng (dragon)
例句 (Example Sentences)
你不是说喜欢音乐吗？真邀你去听音乐会，你又推说没时间，这与叶公好龙有什么区别?
Nǐ bùshì shuō xǐhuān yīnyuè ma? Zhēn yāo nǐ qù tīng yīnyuè huì, nǐ yòu tuī shuō méi shíjiān, zhè yǔ yègōnghàolóng yǒu shé me qūbié?
Didn’t you say you like music? I invited you to a concert, and you claim you don’t have the time, how is this different to Lord Ye’s love of dragons?
喜爱一件事不能只是叶公好龙，要真正付出汗水与努力.
Xǐ'ài yī jiàn shì bùnéng zhǐshì yègōnghàolóng, yào zhēnzhèng fùchū hànshuǐ yǔ nǔlì.
To like doing something, one cannot simply love dragons like Lord Ye; you need to dedicate hard work towards it.
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