欺世盗名 Qī Shì Dào Míng Deceiving the world and stealing fame

Explanation

欺骗世人，盗取名誉。指为了名利而用欺骗的手段获取虚假的名声。

To deceive the world and steal fame. To obtain false fame by using deceptive means for the sake of fame and fortune.

Origin Story

西晋时期，有个叫王衍的人，他博学多才，尤其精通老庄哲学。很多人都称赞他的学识，甚至晋武帝的丈人杨骏也慕名想把女儿嫁给他。但王衍为人清高孤傲，不愿与权贵结交。他常常以清高的姿态示人，从不谈论世俗之事，也不谈及钱财。后来，他的女儿嫁给了愍怀太子为妃。然而，皇宫内变故频发，王衍却命令女儿与太子离婚，他的这一举动，让世人更加赞扬他的高洁。人们觉得他宁愿牺牲女儿的幸福，也不愿与权贵有任何瓜葛，这更体现了他超凡脱俗的品格。但是，有人却说他这是在欺世盗名，表面上装作清高，实际上却是在掩盖自己的私心。王衍的一生，可谓是争议不断，有人赞扬他高风亮节，也有人批评他假仁假义。他究竟是真清高还是假清高，恐怕只有他自己最清楚。

Xijin shiqi, you ge jiao Wang Yan de ren, ta boxue duoccai, youqi jingtong laozhuang zhexue. Henduo ren chenzan ta de xueshi, shenzhi Jinwu Di de zhang ren Yang Jun ye muming xiang ba nver jia gei ta. Dan Wang Yan wei ren qinggao gua'ao, buyuan yu quangui jie jiao. Ta changchang yi qinggao de zitaishi ren, cong bu tanlun shisu zhishi, ye bu tanji qiancai. Houlai, ta de nver jia geile Minhuai Taizi wei fei. Ran'er, huanggong nei biangu pinfa, Wang Yan que mingling nver yu Taizi lihun, ta de zhe yi jundong, rang shiren gengjia zanyange ta de gaoxie. Renmen juede ta ningyuan xisheng nver de xingfu, ye buyuan yu quangui yourenhe guage, zhe geng tixian le ta chaofan tuosu de pingge. Danshi, you ren que shuo ta zhe shi zai qishi daoming, biaomianshang zhuangzuo qinggao, shijishang que shizai yan'gai ziji de sixin. Wang Yan de yisheng, kewei shi zhengyi buduan, you ren zanyange ta gaofeng liangjie, ye you ren pipin ta jiaren jia'yi. Ta jiujing shi zhen qinggao haishi jia qinggao, kongpa zhiyou taziji zui qingchu.

During the Western Jin Dynasty, there was a man named Wang Yan who was a scholar of great ability, particularly knowledgeable in the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Many praised his scholarship, even Yang Jun, the father-in-law of Emperor Wu of Jin, admired him and wanted to marry his daughter to him. However, Wang Yan was aloof and unwilling to associate with the powerful. He often presented himself with an air of high-mindedness, never discussing worldly affairs, nor mentioning money. Later, his daughter married the Crown Prince Minhuai. However, the palace was frequently beset by upheavals, and Wang Yan ordered his daughter to divorce the prince. This act led to even greater praise of his integrity. People thought that he would rather sacrifice his daughter's happiness than have any entanglement with the powerful, further demonstrating his exceptional character. However, some said that he was deceiving the world and stealing fame, feigning high-mindedness on the outside, while actually concealing his selfish interests. Wang Yan's life was full of controversy; some praised his noble character, others criticized him as hypocritical. Whether he was truly pure or not is probably known only to himself.

Usage

多用于批评那些为了名利而欺骗世人，假装高尚的人。

duoyongyu piping naxie weile mingli er qipian shiren, jiazhuang gaoshang de ren

It is often used to criticize those who deceive the world for fame and gain, pretending to be noble.

Examples

• 他总是夸夸其谈，实际上却是在欺世盗名。

  ta zongshi kuakuqitan, shijishang que shizai qishi daoming

  He always boasts, but in reality he is deceiving the world and stealing fame.

• 为了名利，他竟然不择手段，欺世盗名，实在令人不齿。

  weile mingli, ta jingran buzeshouduan, qishi daoming, shizai lingren buchi

  For the sake of fame and fortune, he actually resorts to any means necessary, deceiving the world and stealing fame, which is really despicable.

Related Idioms

• 沽名钓誉

• 招摇撞骗

• 假仁假义

Opposite Idioms

• 名副其实

• 实至名归