空から約やく束そく

also: そらやくそく

か

ら

や

く

そ

く

Meanings

1

empty promise; hollow promise

A promise made without real intention to keep it; a lie disguised as a promise. Often used in negative contexts.

選せん挙きょのときの公こう約やくが空から約やく束そくに終おわることが多おおい。

Campaign promises often turn out to be hollow.

口くち約やく束そく
口約束 is a verbal promise, which may or may not be kept. 空約束 specifically implies the promise is empty or insincere.
嘘うそ
嘘 is a general lie. 空約束 is a specific type of lie framed as a promise.

確かく約やく
空約束 is an empty promise with no real intention of keeping it, the opposite of 確約, a definite and reliable commitment.

空約束
- からやくそく
  Standard kanji spelling. The reading からやくそく is the most common.
- そらやくそく
  Alternate reading, less common. May be encountered in older texts or specific contexts.
そらやくそく

Compound of 空 (から, 'empty') and 約束 (やくそく, 'promise'). The reading そらやくそく uses the alternate reading そら for 空, which also means 'empty' or 'hollow'.