纸上谈兵 zhǐ shàng tán bīng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. military tactics on paper (idiom)
  2. fig. theoretical discussion that is worse than useless in practice
  3. armchair strategist
  4. idle theorizing
  5. cf Zhao Kuo 趙括|赵括 leading an army of 400,000 to total annihilation at battle of Changping 長平之戰|长平之战 in 260 BC

CHARACTERS

纸 zhǐ
HSK 2
paper
上 shàng
HSK 1
top; superior, highest; go up, send up
谈 tán
HSK 4
talk; conversation; surname
兵 bīng
HSK 5
soldier, troops