一瓶子不响，半瓶子晃荡 yī píng zi bù xiǎng ， bàn píng zi huàng dang

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. a full bottle makes no sound; a half-filled bottle sloshes (idiom)
  2. fig. empty vessels make the most noise

CHARACTERS

一 yī
HSK 1
one; a, an; alone
瓶 píng
HSK 3
jug, pitcher, vase, jar, bottle
子 zi
HSK 1
offspring, child; fruit, seed of; 1st terrestrial branch
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
响 xiǎng
HSK 3
make sound, make noise; sound
半 bàn
HSK 3
half
瓶 píng
HSK 3
jug, pitcher, vase, jar, bottle
子 zi
HSK 1
offspring, child; fruit, seed of; 1st terrestrial branch
晃 huàng
HSK 6
bright, dazzling; to sway, shake
荡 dang
HSK 6
pond, pool; wash away, cleanse