人面兽心 rén miàn shòu xīn human face, beast heart

Explanation

形容一个人外表看似善良，内心却凶狠残暴，极度缺乏人性。

Describes a person who appears kind on the outside but is cruel and brutal inside, extremely lacking in humanity.

Origin Story

传说上古时期，有很多神灵拥有奇特的容貌，例如伏羲氏和女娲氏，他们都并非人类的模样，但他们心地善良，为人类创造了文明。然而，历史上也出现了一些人面兽心之人，比如夏桀和商纣王，他们外表看似威严，内心却无比残暴，最终走向灭亡。这故事告诉我们，不能以貌取人，要看一个人的内心是否善良。很久以前，在一个偏远的村庄里，住着一个名叫阿牛的年轻人。他相貌堂堂，仪表不凡，总是面带微笑，待人和气，村民们都非常喜欢他。但是，阿牛的内心却是异常的黑暗和残酷。他常常在暗地里做一些伤天害理的事情，欺压百姓，为非作歹。有一次，村里举行祭祀活动，阿牛负责保管祭祀用的物品。他偷偷地把一些贵重的物品藏了起来，然后诬陷其他村民偷窃，使得那些村民受到了惩罚。村民们对此感到非常疑惑，但没有人想到阿牛竟然如此人面兽心。后来，阿牛的恶行终于被揭露，他受到了应有的惩罚。从此以后，村民们再也不敢以貌取人，而是更加注重观察一个人的言行举止，看他的内心是否善良。

chuán shuō shàng gǔ shí qī, yǒu hěn duō shén líng yǒng yǒu qí tè de róng mào, lì rú fú xī shì hé nǚ wā shì, tāmen dōu bìng fēi rén lèi de mú yàng, dàn tāmen xīn dì shàn liáng, wèi rén lèi chuàng zào le wén míng. rán ér, lìshǐ shàng yě chū xiàn le yīxiē rén miàn shòu xīn zhī rén, bǐ rú xià jié hé shāng zhòu wáng, tāmen wàibiǎo kànshì wēi yán, nèixīn què wú bǐ cán bào, zuìzhōng zǒuxiàng mièwáng. zhè gùshì gàosù wǒmen, bù néng yǐ mào qǔ rén, yào kàn yīgè rén de nèixīn shìfǒu shànliáng. hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, zài yīgè piānyuǎn de cūn zhuāng lǐ, zhù zhe yīgè míng jiào ā niú de nián qīng rén. tā xiàng mào táng táng, yíbiǎo bùfán, zǒng shì miàn dài wēixiào, dài rén hé qì, cūn mín men dōu fēicháng xǐhuan tā. dànshì, ā niú de nèixīn què shì yìcháng de hēi'àn hé cán kù. tā chángcháng zài àn dì lǐ zuò yīxiē shāng tiān hài lǐ de shì qing, qīyā bǎixìng, wèi fēi zuò dài. yǒu yī cì, cūn lǐ jǔxíng jì sì huó dòng, ā niú fùzé bǎo guǎn jì sì yòng de wù pǐn. tā tōutōu de bǎ yīxiē guìzhòng de wù pǐn cáng le qǐlái, ránhòu wūxiàn qítā cūn mín tōuqiè, shǐ de nàxiē cūn mín shòudào le chéngfá. cūn mín men duì cǐ gǎndào fēicháng yíhuò, dàn méiyǒu rén xiǎng dào ā niú jìng rán rúcǐ rén miàn shòu xīn. hòulái, ā niú de è xíng zhōngyú bèi jīlù, tā shòudào le yīngyǒu de chéngfá. cóng cǐ yǐhòu, cūn mín men zài yě bù gǎn yǐ mào qǔ rén, ér shì gèng jiā zhùzhòng guānchá yīgè rén de yán xíng jǔ zhǐ, kàn tā de nèixīn shìfǒu shànliáng

Legend has it that in ancient times, there were many deities with unusual appearances, such as Fuxi and Nüwa. They did not have a human appearance, but they were kind-hearted and created civilization for humanity. However, in history, there were also some people with heartless characters, such as Jie and Zhou. They looked powerful on the outside but were exceptionally brutal inside and eventually perished. This story teaches us that we should not judge people by their appearance, but rather see if their hearts are good. A long time ago, in a remote village, there lived a young man named Aniu. He was handsome and had an excellent appearance, always smiled, and treated people kindly. The villagers liked him very much. But Aniu's heart was exceptionally dark and cruel. He often secretly did things that hurt heaven and earth, oppressed the people, and did evil deeds. Once, when the village held a sacrificial ceremony, Aniu was responsible for keeping the sacrificial items. He secretly hid some valuable items and then accused other villagers of theft, causing those villagers to be punished. The villagers were very confused, but no one thought that Aniu was so heartless. Later, Aniu's evil deeds were finally exposed, and he received the punishment he deserved. From then on, the villagers no longer dared to judge people by their appearance, but paid more attention to observing a person's behavior and manners to see if their heart is good.

Usage

用于形容那些外表看似善良，内心却凶狠残暴的人。

yòng yú xíngróng nàxiē wàibiǎo kànshì shànliáng, nèixīn què xiōnghěn cán bào de rén

Used to describe those who appear kind on the outside but are cruel and brutal inside.

Examples

• 他为人虽然看着和善，但内心却人面兽心。

  tā wéi rén suīrán kàn zhe hé shàn, dàn nèixīn què rén miàn shòu xīn

  Although he looks kind, he is actually cruel.

• 这个人表面上装得人模狗样，实际上却是人面兽心。

  zhège rén biǎomiàn shàng zhuāng de rén mú gǒu yàng, shíjì shang què shì rén miàn shòu xīn

  This man pretends to be decent, but in reality, he is heartless.

• 不要被他的外表所迷惑，他可是个彻头彻尾的人面兽心

  bú yào bèi tā de wàibiǎo suǒ míhuò, tā kěshì ge chètóu chèwěi de rén miàn shòu xīn

  Don't be fooled by his appearance; he is a completely heartless person.

Related Idioms

• 狼心狗肺

• 凶残

• 阴险

Opposite Idioms

• 慈眉善目

• 善良