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徒有虛名

简徒有虚名 · 繁徒有虛名

Mandarin · pinyin tú yǒu xū míng

with an undeserved reputation (idiom); unwarranted fame
nowhere near as good as he's made out to be

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Characters in this entry

徒: tú · disciple, follower; go on foot
有: yǒu · have, own, possess; exist
虛: Look up this written character
名: míng · name, rank, title, position
虚: xū · false

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–3–1–2 · tu2 you3 xu1 ming2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

徒有虛名 · find source passages ↗ · 徒有虚名 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

tou4 jau5 heoi1 ming4

Cantonese word readings for 徒有虛名. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to have a reputation for something one actually lacks; having a fake reputation

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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