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由表及里

yóu biǎo jí lǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to proceed from the outside to the inside / to see the essence merely by looking at the superficial appearance
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-53f385b837d7accd. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

由表及裡 由表及里 [you2 biao3 ji2 li3] /to proceed from the outside to the inside/to see the essence merely by looking at the superficial appearance/

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: 由表及裡

  • 由
    yóu

    to follow / from / because of / due to / by / via / through / (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...

  • 表
    biǎo

    exterior surface / family relationship via females / to show (one's opinion) / a model / a table (listing information) / a form / a meter (measuring sth) / watch (timepiece) / meter / gauge

  • 及
    jí

    and / to reach / up to / in time for

  • 里
    lǐ

    lining / interior / inside / internal / also written 裏|里[lǐ] / li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m / neighborhood / ancient administrative unit of 25 families / (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 鎮|镇[zhèn] and neighborhood 鄰|邻[lín] levels

    Lǐ

    surname Li

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.