Definition
This chengyu (four-character idiom) literally means 'a castle in the air' and carries the same figurative meaning as its English counterpart: something that sounds wonderful but is completely unrealistic or impossible to achieve. You use it to criticize plans, ideas, or promises that have no practical foundation — it's usually the object of verbs like 是 (to be) or 建造 (to build/construct), but metaphorically.
n.
castle in the airunrealistic plan or vain hope
Examples
- ，空中楼阁。Tā de jìhuà suīrán tīng qǐlái hěn hǎo, dàn qíshí jiùshì kōng zhōng lóu gé.His plan sounds great, but it's actually a castle in the air.
- 空中楼阁，。Bú yào zhuīqiú nàxiē kōng zhōng lóu gé bān de mèngxiǎng, xiànshí yì diǎn ba.Don't pursue those castle-in-the-air dreams; be more realistic.
- 空中楼阁。Yí ge méiyǒu zījīn de chuàngyè jìhuà zhǐshì kōng zhōng lóu gé.A startup plan without funding is just a castle in the air.
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