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名不副实

míng bù fù shídictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
the name does not reflect the reality (idiom) / more in name than in fact / Reality does not live up to the name. / Excellent theory, but the practice does not bear it out.
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1426b61375e60d44. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

名不副實 名不副实 [ming2 bu4 fu4 shi2] /the name does not reflect the reality (idiom); more in name than in fact/Reality does not live up to the name./Excellent theory, but the practice does not bear it out./

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 名不副實

  • 名
    míng

    name / noun (part of speech) / place (e.g. among winners) / famous / classifier for people

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 副
    fù

    secondary / auxiliary / deputy / assistant / vice- / abbr. for 副詞|副词 adverb / classifier for pairs, sets of things & facial expressions

  • 实
    shí

    real / true / honest / really / solid / fruit / seed / definitely

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.