be scanty of words
Silent, pronounced ch é NY ì Gu ǎ y á n, is an idiom, which means deep and quiet, and does not like to talk much. It comes from Sima Guang's Zi Zhi Tong Jian in Song Dynasty.
Deep and quiet. from Zizhitongjian · the first year of emperor Guangde, Emperor xuanxiao, the great sage of suzong civilization and martial Virtue: "advocating righteousness, having courage, rolling iron and relaxing hook, being resolute and taciturn, win the hearts of all."
be scanty of words
play off one power against another - yǐ yí gōng yí
The army did not move, food and grass first - bīng mǎ wèi dòng, liáng cǎo xiān xíng