纸上谈兵

zhǐshàng-tánbīng

armchair strategizing; empty theorizing divorced from reality (idiom)

HSK 7-9

Pronunciation

zhǐshàng-tánbīng

他从没上过战场，只会纸上谈兵，怎么能指挥这支部队呢？

Tā cóng méi shàngguò zhànchǎng, zhǐ huì zhǐshàng-tánbīng, zěnme néng zhǐhuī zhè zhī bùduì ne?

He's never been on a battlefield and only knows how to armchair-strategize—how could he possibly command this troop?

One fixed sample