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華而不實

简华而不实 · 繁華而不實

Mandarin · pinyin huá ér bù shí

flower but no fruit (idiom); handsome exterior but hollow inside
flashy

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Characters in this entry

華: Look up this written character
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
實: shí · real, true, solid, honest
华: huá · flowery; illustrious; Chinese
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

2–2–4–2 · hua2 er2 bu4 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.

華而不實 · find source passages ↗ · 华而不实 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

waa4 ji4 bat1 sat6

Cantonese word readings for 華而不實. 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) having a handsome exterior but hollow inside; flashy and without substance

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

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