寓言故事
以貌取人
yǐ mào qǔ rén
judge by appearances
Meaning
To judge a person's character or ability based on their appearance; often used with a negative connotation.
根据外貌来判断人的品质才能，多含贬义。
Origin
春秋时期，孔子的学生子羽相貌丑陋，孔子对他很冷淡，他只有离开孔子回去自修，后成为有名的学者。而学生宰予长得很好，但不学无术，不久就被齐王处死。孔子感慨地说："不能以貌取人，也不能凭人说话来衡量别人。"
Chunqiu shiqi, Kongzi de xuesheng Ziyu xiaomào chǒulòu, Kongzi duì tā hěn lěngdàn, tā zhǐyǒu líkāi Kongzi huíqù zìxiū, hòu chéngwéi yǒumíng de xuézhě. Ér xuésheng Zāiyǔ zhǎng de hěn hǎo, dàn bùxué wúshù, bùjiǔ jiù bèi Qíwáng chǔsǐ. Kongzi gǎnkǎi de shuō: "Bùnéng yǐ mào qǔ rén, yě bùnéng píng rén shuōhuà lái héngliáng biérén.
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius's student Ziyu was ugly, and Confucius was cold to him. He had to leave Confucius to study at home and later became a famous scholar. However, his student Zaiyu was handsome, but uneducated, and was executed by King Qi soon after. Confucius sighed and said, "One cannot judge people by their appearance, nor can one judge others by what they say."
Usage
作谓语、定语、宾语；用于人。
zuowei yu,dingyu,binyu;yongyu ren
Used as predicate, attributive, and object; used for people.
Examples
不要以貌取人，要看他的能力。
buyaoyi mao quren,yaokan tade nengli.
Don't judge a person by their appearance, but by their ability.
他以貌取人，错失了良才。
ta yi mao quren,cuoshi le liangcai
He judged by appearance and missed a good talent.
Related
Opposite
FAQ
- What does 以貌取人 mean?
- To judge a person's character or ability based on their appearance; often used with a negative connotation. Pinyin: yǐ mào qǔ rén.
- How is 以貌取人 used?
- Used as predicate, attributive, and object; used for people.