聞名不如見面
简 闻名不如见面 · 繁 聞名不如見面Meanings
- knowing sb by their reputation can't compare to meeting them in person (idiom)
Characters in this entry
- 聞
- Look up this written character
- 名
- míng · name, rank, title, position
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 如
- rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
- 見
- jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
- 面
- miàn · face; surface; plane; side, dimension; Kangxi radical 176
- 闻
- wén · hear; smell; make known; news
- 见
- jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2–2–4–2–4–4 · wen2 ming2 bu4 ru2 jian4 mian4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
聞名不如見面 · find source passages ↗ · 闻名不如见面 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
man4 ming4 bat1 jyu4 gin3 min6
Cantonese word readings for 聞名不如見面. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- to know someone by reputation is not as good as meeting face to face
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack