Lord Ye’s Passion for Dragons
Lord Ye’s passion for dragons (葉公好龍 Yègōnghàolóng) is a commonly used Chinese idiom. It describes someone’s false interest in something they don’t understand or really even like.
The breakdown of each character’s meaning can be seen below:
So how does “Ye Lord good Dragon” mean fake enthusiasm?
Let’s look at the proverb behind 葉公好龍 (Yègōnghàolóng) to discover who Lord Ye was and whether he was genuinely passionate about dragons.
Idioms Origins
According to Baidu, a long time ago, there was a man called Lord Ye. He liked things related to dragons. All his things had dragon designs, whether it was a cup, a bowl, clothes, or a quilt. Even on the wall of his house was a drawing of a giant dragon. When you entered his house, you could see dragon designs depicted everywhere. Lord Ye often told others, “I like dragons the most.”
One day, a real dragon in the skies found out about Lord Ye’s obsession with dragons. The real dragon said: “You seldom see someone who likes dragons that much. I must visit him.”
And thus, the real dragon flew from the skies down to Lord Ye’s house. He extended his head through the window and shouted: “Is Lord Ye at home?”
When Lord Ye saw the real dragon, he got scared and ran away. As it turns out, Lord Ye didn’t really like dragons. He only liked things that looked like dragons on the outside but weren’t actual dragons.
Modern Usage
Later, people would use “Lord Ye’s passion for dragons” (葉公好龍 Yègōnghàolóng) to express liking something superficially or in words only but in reality not liking it, not understanding it, or even fearing it.
Therefore, the idiom is primarily used in a negative sense. For example, you can say: “Da Qiang says he likes roller coasters, but when he gets to ride one, he doesn’t dare. It turns out it was just talk (he’s just lord ye’s passion for dragons) and that he doesn’t really like roller coasters.”
Idioms New Variant
Nowadays, there is another new catchphrase: Lord Ye’s contemporary passion for dragons (當代葉公好龍 Dāngdài yègōnghàolóng). This expression refers to people who envy others’ sweet love affairs, but when you ask them to go on a date, they will grimly refuse. Some people think other people’s kids are cute, but if you tell them to raise a child, they will firmly refuse.
Whether it is “Lord Ye’s passion for dragons” or “Lord Ye’s contemporary passion for dragons,” both expressions tell us something: If you like something, it shouldn’t be in words only. You must genuinely invest sweat and effort.
Not finished reading? Take a look at A Cat Weeping Over a Dead Mouse to keep learning about Chinese idioms.
