徒有其表 only has the appearance
Explanation
徒有其表,汉语成语,意思是外表华丽,而实际内容空虚,比喻外表好看而实际不行。
Tú yǒu qí biǎo is a Chinese idiom, which means that the appearance is gorgeous, but the actual content is empty. It is used to describe something that looks good on the outside but is actually useless.
Origin Story
从前,在一个繁华的都市里,住着一个名叫阿强的年轻人。阿强天生丽质,相貌堂堂,走到哪里都引人注目。但他却胸无大志,只沉迷于穿戴华丽的衣衫,打扮得花枝招展,四处炫耀自己的外表。他把时间都花在了打扮上,却忽视了学习和工作,结果一事无成。一天,阿强参加了一个重要的宴会,他精心打扮,穿着最华丽的衣服,希望能给众人留下深刻的印象。可是,当他开始发言时,却发现自己知识贫乏,表达能力差,说得前言不搭后语,让在场的人都感到失望。大家这才明白,阿强只是徒有其表,实际上是一个空壳子。这个故事告诉我们,人不能只注重外表,而要注重内在的修养和能力。
Once upon a time, in a bustling city, there lived a young man named Aqiang. Aqiang was naturally handsome and attracted attention wherever he went. However, he was aimless and spent his time dressing in fine clothes and showing off his appearance. He devoted his time to dressing up but neglected his studies and work, resulting in nothing. One day, Aqiang attended an important banquet, meticulously dressed in his finest clothes, hoping to impress everyone. But when he started to speak, it became clear that he lacked knowledge and had poor communication skills. His speech was incoherent and disappointed everyone present. People realized that Aqiang was only good-looking but essentially empty. This story teaches us that we should not only focus on appearance but also on inner cultivation and ability.
Usage
用来形容人或事物只注重外表,而缺乏内涵。
Used to describe a person or thing that only focuses on appearance and lacks substance.
Examples
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他虽然穿得光鲜亮丽,但实际上徒有其表,能力不足。
ta suirán chuānde guāngxiān liànglì, dàn shíjishang tú yǒu qí biǎo, nénglì bùzú
He looks good, but he is actually only a fair-weather friend.
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别看他表面上很能干,其实徒有其表,一事无成。
bié kàn tā biǎomiànshang hěn nénggàn, qíshí tú yǒu qí biǎo, yìshì wú chéng
Don't look at his surface, he is actually incompetent and achieves nothing in his life