Under the imperial examination system, if a scholar wants to obtain an official position through the imperial examination, he must be proficient in literary knowledge and moral cultivation. However, although some scholars have the title of literati, they have no real knowledge and moral cultivation. This phenomenon is called "no writing and no action".

"Illiteracy" means that a scholar lacks literary knowledge and cannot pass the imperial examination. And "no line" means that a scholar lacks moral cultivation and cannot become a qualified official. Therefore, a scholar who has no writing style and deeds is difficult to succeed under the imperial examination system.

In addition, scholars who are "inconsistent with their words and deeds" will also be criticized by society. Because in a society with Confucian morality as the core, personal morality is very important. If a person has no good moral cultivation, then he can't be a respected official.

Therefore, "a man without words and deeds" is a derogatory term under the imperial examination system, suggesting that although these people have the title of literati, they cannot become successful officials without real knowledge and moral cultivation.