also: からしょうもん
empty promise; false pledge
Refers to a promise or written pledge that is not meant to be kept; often used in contexts of deception or insincerity.
What he said turned out to be an empty promise.
You mustn't believe such a false pledge.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading そらしょうもん is the most common.
Alternate reading; less common than そらしょうもん.
Compound of 空 (そら, 'empty, false') and 証文 (しょうもん, 'written pledge, deed'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word literally means 'empty written pledge'.