听其言而观其行 tīng qí yán ér guān qí xíng

DEFINITIONS

  1. hear what he says and observe what he does (idiom, from Analects); judge a person not by his words, but by his actions

CHARACTERS

听 tīng
HSK 1
hear; understand; obey, comply
其 qí
HSK 3
his, her, its, their; that
言 yán
HSK 4
words, speech; speak, say
而 ér
HSK 3
and; and then; and yet; but
观 guān
HSK 4
see, observe, view; appearance
其 qí
HSK 3
his, her, its, their; that
行 xíng
HSK 3
go; walk; move, travel; circulate