华而不实 superficial
Explanation
比喻外表好看，内容空虚。
It is used to describe something that looks beautiful on the outside, but is empty on the inside.
Origin Story
从前，有个年轻人，名叫阿强。他自诩才华横溢，常常夸夸其谈，但实际行动却很少。他喜欢穿华丽的衣服，打扮得光鲜亮丽，却对学习和工作漫不经心。一次，村里要选拔一位去县城参加考试的秀才，阿强觉得自己条件很好，就报名参加了。考试那天，他信心满满地去了，但因为平时不努力学习，结果考试成绩很差，名落孙山。这件事让村里人看清了他的本质：他不过是徒有其表，华而不实罢了。
Once upon a time, there was a young man named Aqiang. He boasted of his great talent and often talked big, but seldom took any real action. He loved to wear gorgeous clothes, dressing himself up brightly, but he was careless about his studies and work. Once, the village was selecting a scholar to go to the county to take an exam. Aqiang thought that he was well qualified and signed up. On the day of the exam, he went with confidence, but because he didn't study hard, he failed and didn't get into the exam results. This incident revealed his true nature to the villagers: he was merely superficial and lacked real substance.
Usage
多用于形容人或事物外表好看而内容空虚的情况。
It is often used to describe people or things that are beautiful on the outside, but empty on the inside.
Examples
-
他这个人华而不实，夸夸其谈，实际工作能力很差。
ta zhe ge ren hua er bu shi,kuakuata tan,shiji gongzuo nengli hen cha.
He is superficial and boastful, but in reality he is incompetent.
-
他的文章华而不实，空洞无物，缺乏实际内容。
ta de wen zhang hua er bu shi,kongdong wu wu,quefan shiji neirong
His essay is superficial and empty; it lacks substance.