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开弓不放箭

Traditional (Taiwan): 開弓不放箭

kāigōngbùfàngjiàn ㄎㄞ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄅㄨˋ ㄈㄤˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

    • lit. to draw the bow without shooting the arrow (idiom)
    • fig. to bluff
    • to be all talk and no action
    • false bravado

Character by character

Saying俗语俗語

Idiom惯用语 · Widely known

Literally
draw the bow but not loose the arrow
Meaning
To put on a show of force or take a threatening stance without actually acting. Mildly critical or wary. Close to "all bark and no bite" or "rattling sabres".

Sources