A bit of wax
The Chinese idiom, Tu á NSH à Ji á ol à in pinyin, means that the sand can't be shaped and the wax can't be chewed; it means empty and tasteless. From shaobian.
The origin of Idioms
In Yuan Dynasty, Yang Lizhai's "Shao Bian" series: "the world is full of sand and wax, and you will be surprised when you are free."
Idiom usage
It is empty and tasteless
A bit of wax
with humble words and lavish gifts - bēi cí zhòng bì
Horizontal needle and vertical line - héng zhēn shù xiàn