花拳绣腿
huā quán xiù tuǐ
Pinyin

Definition

花拳绣腿
 - 
huā quán xiù tuǐ
  1. flowery of fist with fancy footwork (idiom)
  2. highly embellished and ineffectual
  3. fancy but impractical skills
  4. all show and no go
  5. pugilistic wankery

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

táo huā
  1. 1 peach blossom
  2. 2 (fig.) love affair
táo huā yùn
  1. 1 luck with the ladies
  2. 2 a romance
  3. 3 good luck
yān huā
  1. 1 fireworks
  2. 2 prostitute (esp. in Yuan theater)
tuǐ
  1. 1 leg
  2. 2 CL:條|条[tiáo]
Huā
  1. 1 surname Hua
xuě huā
  1. 1 snowflake
xiān huā
  1. 1 flower
  2. 2 fresh flowers
  3. 3 CL:朵[duǒ]
èr láng tuǐ
  1. 1 one leg over the other (legs crossed)
wǔ huā ròu
  1. 1 pork belly
  2. 2 streaky pork
bīng huā
  1. 1 ice crystal
  2. 2 frost (on windows)
yìn huā
  1. 1 tax stamp
dà tuǐ
  1. 1 thigh
dà lì huā
  1. 1 dahlia (loanword)
tiān huā bǎn
  1. 1 ceiling
rú huā
  1. 1 flowery
xiǎo tuǐ
  1. 1 lower leg (from knee to ankle)
  2. 2 shank
xīn huā nù fàng
  1. 1 to burst with joy (idiom)
  2. 2 to be over the moon
  3. 3 to be elated
quán
  1. 1 fist
  2. 2 boxing
quán jī
  1. 1 boxing
quán tou
  1. 1 fist
  2. 2 clenched fist
  3. 3 CL:個|个[gè]
  4. 4 competitive (product)

Idioms (20)

借花献佛
jiè huā xiàn Fó
  1. 1 lit. presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers (idiom); fig. to win favor or influence using sb else's property
  2. 2 plagiarism
名花有主
míng huā yǒu zhǔ
  1. 1 the girl is already taken (idiom)
天花乱坠
tiān huā luàn zhuì
  1. 1 lit. a deluge of heavenly flowers (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. extravagant embellishments
  3. 3 hype
奇花异卉
qí huā yì huì
  1. 1 exotic flowers and rare herbs (idiom)
奇花异草
qí huā yì cǎo
  1. 1 very rarely seen, unusual (idiom)
如花似玉
rú huā sì yù
  1. 1 delicate as a flower, refined as a precious jade (idiom)
  2. 2 (of a woman) exquisite
寻花问柳
xún huā wèn liǔ
  1. 1 lit. to enjoy the beautiful spring scenery (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to frequent brothels
  3. 3 to sow one's wild oats
心花怒放
xīn huā nù fàng
  1. 1 to burst with joy (idiom)
  2. 2 to be over the moon
  3. 3 to be elated
拈花惹草
niān huā rě cǎo
  1. 1 lit. to pick the flowers and trample the grass (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to womanize
  3. 3 to frequent brothels
  4. 4 to sow one's wild oats
拳打脚踢
quán dǎ jiǎo tī
  1. 1 lit. to punch and kick (idiom); to beat up
  2. 2 fig. determined to sort out a problem
摩拳擦掌
mó quán cā zhǎng
  1. 1 fig. to rub one's fists and wipe one's palms (idiom)
  2. 2 to roll up one's sleeves for battle
  3. 3 eager to get into action or start on a task
摆花架子
bǎi huā jià zi
  1. 1 lit. to arrange a shelf of flowers
  2. 2 superficial display (idiom)
败柳残花
bài liǔ cán huā
  1. 1 broken flower, withered willow (idiom); fig. fallen woman
明日黄花
míng rì huáng huā
  1. 1 lit. chrysanthemums after the Double Ninth Festival (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. outdated
  3. 3 thing of the past
  4. 4 dead letter
昙花一现
tán huā yī xiàn
  1. 1 lit. the night-blooming cactus shows once
  2. 2 flash in the pan (idiom)
  3. 3 short-lived
月下花前
yuè xià huā qián
  1. 1 lit. amidst the flowers under the moonlight (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. romantic surroundings
柳暗花明
liǔ àn huā míng
  1. 1 lit. the willow trees make the shade, the flowers give the light (idiom); at one's darkest hour, a glimmer of hope
  2. 2 light at the end of the tunnel
柳烟花雾
liǔ yān huā wù
  1. 1 lit. willow scent and mist of blossom (idiom); scene full of the delights of spring
梨花带雨
lí huā dài yǔ
  1. 1 lit. like raindrops on a pear blossom (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. tear-stained face of a beauty
树上开花
shù shàng kāi huā
  1. 1 to deck the tree with false blossoms
  2. 2 to make something of no value appear valuable (idiom)

Sample Sentences

不是李小龙就是李连杰,他们有真功夫。成龙就只有点花拳绣腿,作秀的成分多一点。
bù shì LǐXiǎolóng jiùshì LǐLiánjié ,tā men yǒu zhēn gōngfu 。Chénglóng jiù zhǐ yǒudiǎn huāquánxiùtuǐ ,zuòxiù de chéngfèn duō yīdiǎn 。
If it's not Bruce Li it's Jackie Chan. They really know kung fu. Jackie Chan's style is showy but impractical. It's more of a performance.