雷聲大，雨點小

See also: 雷声大，雨点小

Chinese

		thunder	big; great; huge big; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor		raindrop	small; tiny; few small; tiny; few; young
trad. (雷聲大，雨點小)		雷聲	大	，	雨點	小
simp. (雷声大，雨点小)		雷声	大	，	雨点	小
alternative forms		雷聲大雨點小／雷声大雨点小
Literally: “loud thunder but small raindrops”.

Etymology

From 五燈會元．卷二○．鼓山安永禪師:

師曰：『雷聲浩大，雨點全無。』 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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师曰：『雷声浩大，雨点全无。』 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 《五燈會元．卷二○．鼓山安永禪師》

Shī yuē: ‘Léishēng hàodà, yǔdiǎn quán wú.’ [Pinyin]

(please add an English translation of this usage example)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): léishēng dà, yǔdiǎn xiǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄟˊ ㄕㄥ ㄉㄚˋ , ㄩˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄠˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): leoi⁴ sing¹ daai⁶, jyu⁵ dim² siu²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: léishēng dà, yǔdiǎn xiǎo [Phonetic: léishēngdà,yúdiánxiǎo]
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄟˊ ㄕㄥ ㄉㄚˋ , ㄩˇ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: léisheng dà, yǔdiǎn siǎo
    • Wade–Giles: lei²-shêng¹ ta⁴, yü³-tien³ hsiao³
    • Yale: léi-shēng dà-, yǔ-dyǎn syǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: leisheng dah, yeudean sheau
    • Palladius: лэйшэн да, юйдянь сяо (lɛjšɛn da, jujdjanʹ sjao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /leɪ̯³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ tä⁵¹ y²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ti̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: leoi⁴ sing¹ daai⁶, jyu⁵ dim² siu²
    • Yale: lèuih sīng daaih, yúh dím síu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: loey⁴ sing¹ daai⁶, jy⁵ dim² siu²
    • Guangdong Romanization: lêu⁴ xing¹ dai⁶, yu⁵ dim² xiu²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɵy̯²¹ sɪŋ⁵⁵ taːi̯²² jyː¹³ tiːm³⁵ siːu̯³⁵/

Idiom

雷聲大，雨點小

1. much said but little done, all bark and no bite
   • 2021 April 14, “華為中興TikTok：被特朗普打壓的中國公司境遇迥異”, in BBC News‎^[1]:

     相比華為和中興，TikTok的境遇可以形容為「雷聲大，雨點小」——禁令來得有嚴又急，但都沒有真正實施。 [MSC, trad.]
     相比华为和中兴，TikTok的境遇可以形容为「雷声大，雨点小」——禁令来得有严又急，但都没有真正实施。 [MSC, simp.]

     Xiàngbǐ Huáwèi hé Zhōngxìng, TikTok de jìngyù kěyǐ xíngróng wéi “léishēngdà, yǔdiǎnxiǎo” — jìnlìng láidé yǒu yán yòu jí, dàn dōu méiyǒu zhēnzhèng shíshī. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

• 雷大雨小

References

• “Entry #59707”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.