yè叶Lordgōng公Shehào好Loveslóng龙Dragon
To profess love for something one actually fears or dislikes; to be a fair-weather fan.
Literal meaning
Lord (叶) — She (公) — Loves (好) — Dragon (龙)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase. It comes from a story about a man who claimed to love dragons, decorating his house with them, but was terrified when a real dragon appeared.
Examples
tā他zǒng总shì是shuō说zì自jǐ己xǐ喜huan欢yùn运dòng动，qí其shí实shì是yè叶gōng公hào好lóng龙。
He always says he likes sports, but in reality, he's just a fair-weather fan.
xǔ许duō多rén人duì对chuán传tǒng统wén文huà化dōu都shì是yè叶gōng公hào好lóng龙，zhēn真zhèng正liǎo了jiě解de的rén人bù不duō多。
Many people only profess to like traditional culture, but few truly understand it.
Usage & nuances
Often used to describe hypocrisy or superficial interest.
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