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有名無實

简有名无实 · 繁有名無實

Mandarin · pinyin yǒu míng wú shí

lit. has a name but no reality (idiom); exists only in name
nominal

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Characters in this entry

有: yǒu · have, own, possess; exist
名: míng · name, rank, title, position
無: Look up this written character
實: shí · real, true, solid, honest
无: wú · negative, no, not; Kangxi radical 71
实: shí · real, true; honest, sincere

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

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Mandarin tones

3–2–2–2 · you3 ming2 wu2 shi2

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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.

有名無實 · find source passages ↗ · 有名无实 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) merely nominal

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

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