牛皮灯笼

Traditional (Taiwan): 牛皮燈籠

niúpídēnglong ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄆㄧˊ ㄉㄥ ˙ㄌㄨㄥ

    • person of few words but shrewd inside

Character by character

Saying俗语俗語

Idiom惯用语 · Rarely used now

Literally
oxhide lantern
Meaning
A person who says little but is shrewd inside. Usually mildly approving.

Sources