Chinese word

夸夸其谈

Pronunciation

Pinyinkuā kuā qí tán

Meaning

  • verbtalk big

Example

他在朋友面前夸夸其谈，总说自己很厉害。tā zài péng yǒu miàn qián kuā kuā qí tán zǒng shuō zì jǐ hěn lì hài

He talks big in front of his friends, always saying how great he is.

Illustration for 夸夸其谈 (talk big)

More examples

在面试中，夸夸其谈会让面试官质疑你的能力。zài miàn shì zhōng kuā kuā qí tán huì ràng miàn shì guān zhì yí nǐ de néng lì

Talking big in an interview can make the interviewer question your ability.

Core concept

Words pile up into a grand display of self-praise while evidence stays small.

Common phrases

  • 只会夸夸其谈zhǐ huì kuā kuā qí tán

    only know how to talk big

  • 光夸夸其谈guāng kuā kuā qí tán

    do nothing but talk big

Similar words

吹牛chuī niú: Make exaggerated or invented claims to make oneself look good.
夸张kuā zhāng: Present facts as more extreme or important than they really are.

Definition in Chinese

以夸大或自夸的言辞夸耀自己，言辞多而缺乏事实根据。yǐ kuā dà huò zì kuā de yán cí kuā yào zì jǐ yán cí duō ér quē fá shì shí gēn jù

Word origin

The repeated 夸 (kuā, "boast") suggests exaggerated self-praise, and 其 (qí, "his or one's") + 谈 (tán, "talk") identifies the result as boastful speech.

Usage tips

  • This idiom can criticize a long display of self-praise even when no single claim is clearly false, because the focus is on exaggeration and weak support.

Opposites

Word lists with this word