Dictionary1 – SMART CHINESE TEACHER

MEANING/意义

食言

EXAMPLES/列句

如果他答应帮忙，他就不会食言。

rú guǒ tā dā ying bāng máng ，tā jiù bú huì shí yán .

If he promised to help，he will not go back on his promise.

SL	Character	PinYin	Translation
1.	如果	rú guǒ	if
2.	他	tā	he，him; another，other; everyone; meaningless mock object
3.	答应	dā ying	to agree，to promise; to answer，to respond，to reply
4.	帮忙	bāng máng	to help
5.	就	jiù	precisely，exactly，at once; already; only; as soon as，right/immediately after; then (used after 'if...' to introduce a natural development of the previous statement)
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他答应把书留给我，却食言把它卖给了别人。

tā dā ying bǎ shū liú géi wǒ ，què shí yán bǎ tā mài gěi le bié rén .

He promised to keep the book for me，but he broke his word and sold it to someone else.

SL	Character	PinYin	Translation
1.	他	tā	he，him; another，other; everyone; meaningless mock object
2.	答应	dā ying	to agree，to promise; to answer，to respond，to reply
3.	把	bǎ	a measure word for something with a handle
4.	书	shū	book; style of calligraphy; document; letter; to write
5.	留给	liú gěi	set aside for，leave (something) to
6.	我	wǒ	I，me，my; we，us，our; one，anyone; oneself
7.	却	què	but，however
8.	食言	shí yán	go back on one's word，break one's promise
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COMBINATIONS/组合

食言而肥

shí yán ér féi

get (grow) fat because of going back on one's word -- be worse than one's word，fail to make good one's promise