sè lì nèi rěndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. show strength while weak inside (idiom); appearing fierce while cowardly at heart / a sheep in wolf's clothing
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-4b427f9fefb234f1. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

色厲內荏 色厉内荏 [se4 li4 nei4 ren3] /lit. show strength while weak inside (idiom); appearing fierce while cowardly at heart/a sheep in wolf's clothing/

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

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Other forms in these source records: 色厲內荏

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.