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表裡不一

简表里不一 · 繁表裡不一

Mandarin · pinyin biǎo lǐ bù yī

outside appearance and inner reality differ (idiom); not what it seems
saying one thing but meaning sth different

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Characters in this entry

表: biǎo · show, express, manifest, display
裡: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
一: yī · one; a, an; alone
里: lǐ · unit of distance; village; lane; Kangxi radical 166

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–4–1 · biao3 li3 bu4 yi1

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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.

表裡不一 · find source passages ↗ · 表里不一 · 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) to think in one way but speak and act in another; to be two-faced

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

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