空口無憑

Chinese

		empty talk; lip service; mere verbal statement empty talk; lip service; mere verbal statement; air interface
trad. (空口無憑)		空口	無憑
simp. (空口无凭)		空口	无凭

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): kōngkǒuwúpíng

(Zhuyin): ㄎㄨㄥㄎㄡˇ ㄨˊ ㄆㄧㄥˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): hung¹ hau² mou⁴ pang⁴
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): khong-kháu-bû-phîn

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: kōngkǒuwúpíng
  - Zhuyin: ㄎㄨㄥㄎㄡˇ ㄨˊ ㄆㄧㄥˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: kongkǒuwúpíng
  - Wade–Giles: kʻung¹-kʻou³-wu²-pʻing²
  - Yale: kūng-kǒu-wú-píng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: kongkoouwupyng
  - Palladius: кункоуупин (kunkouupin)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ pʰiŋ³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: hung¹ hau² mou⁴ pang⁴
  - Yale: hūng háu mòuh pàhng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: hung¹ hau² mou⁴ pang⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: hung¹ heo² mou⁴ peng⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hʊŋ⁵⁵ hɐu̯³⁵ mou̯²¹ pʰɐŋ²¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Longyan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khong-kháu-bû-phîn
  - Tâi-lô: khong-kháu-bû-phîn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: qongqaw'buphiin
  - IPA (Longyan): /kʰoŋ³³⁴ kʰau²¹ bu¹¹ pʰin¹¹/

Idiom

空口無憑

a mere verbal statement is no guarantee
空口無憑，立字為證。 [MSC, trad.]
空口无凭，立字为证。 [MSC, simp.]
Kōngkǒu wú píng, lìzì wéi zhèng. [Pinyin]
Words of mouth being no guarantee, a written statement is hereby given.

Synonyms

(Hakka) 無根無據／无根无据
(Hokkien) 空喙哺舌

References

郭启熹 [Guo, Qixi], editor (2016), “空口无凭”, in 龙岩方言词典 LONGYAN FANGYAN CIDIAN [Dictionary of Longyan dialect] (overall work in Min Nan and Mandarin), Xiamen: 鷺江出版社 [Lujiang Publishing House], →ISBN, page 487.