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表裡如一

简表里如一 · 繁表裡如一

Mandarin · pinyin biǎo lǐ rú yī

external appearance and inner thoughts coincide (idiom); to say what one means
to think and act as one

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Characters in this entry

表: biǎo · show, express, manifest, display
裡: Look up this written character
如: rú · if, supposing; as if; like, as
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

3–3–2–1 · biao3 li3 ru2 yi1

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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.

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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

(simile) to think and act in one and the same way

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

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