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徒有其名

tú yǒu qí míngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
with an undeserved reputation (idiom) / unwarranted fame / nowhere near as good as he's made out to be
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-b0e0b91fc4adc640. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

徒有其名 徒有其名 [tu2 you3 qi2 ming2] /with an undeserved reputation (idiom); unwarranted fame/nowhere near as good as he's made out to be/

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.

  • 徒
    tú

    (bound form) disciple / apprentice / believer / (derog.) wrongdoer (as in 騙徒|骗徒[piàn tú] "swindler" or 叛徒[pàn tú] "traitor" etc) / (bound form) on foot / (bound form) bare / empty / (bound form) to no avail / in vain / (bound form) merely / just / only / (bound form) prison sentence

    Tú

    surname Tu

  • 有
    yǒu

    to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)

  • 其
    qí

    his / her / its / their / that / such / it (refers to sth preceding it)

  • 名
    míng

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

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.