半瓶水响叮当

Traditional (Taiwan): 半瓶水響叮噹

bànpíngshuǐxiǎngdīngdāng ㄅㄢˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄉㄧㄥ ㄉㄤ

    • lit. if you tap a half-empty bottle it makes a sound (idiom)
    • fig. empty vessels make the most noise
    • one who has a little knowledge likes to show off, but one who is truly knowledgeable is modest

Character by character

Sources