叶公好龙
professed love of what one actually fears
false respect
Lord Ye professed to love dragons.(A Lord Ye of ancient times who was very fond of dragons adorned his whole palace -- beams,pillars,doors,windows and walls -- with drawings and carvings of them.When a real dragon in heaven heard of this it was deeply moved by his infatuation and paid him a visit.When Lord Ye saw the real dragon thrusting in its head through the window of his study and its tail moving in his palace,he was frightened out of the house for his life.Clearly,what Lord Ye loved was not the real dragons.); Lord Ye who claimed to be fond of dragons was scared out of his wits when a real one appeared.; Lord Ye's love of dragons; professed love of what one really fears; What one does belies one's commitments.:例句:To talk about “arousing the masses of the people” day in and day out and then to be scared to death when the masses do rise -- what difference is there between this and Lord Ye's love of dragons
嘴里天天说 “唤起民众”,民众起来了又害怕得要死,这和叶公好龙有什么两样!
以上来源于:《新汉英大辞典》
