虚 头 巴 脑

xū tóu bā nǎodictionary entry

(coll.) all show and no substance

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-d0b8cbd11a46c86f. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

虛頭巴腦虚头巴脑 [xu1 tou2 ba1 nao3] /(coll.) all show and no substance/

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: 虛頭巴腦

虚
xū
emptiness / void / abstract theory or guiding principles / empty or unoccupied / diffident or timid / false / humble or modest / (of health) weak / virtual / in vain
头
tóu
head / hair style / the top / end / beginning or end / a stub / remnant / chief / boss / side / aspect / first / leading / classifier for pigs or livestock / CL:個|个[gè]
tou
suffix for nouns
巴
bā
to long for / to wish / to cling to / to stick to / sth that sticks / close to / next to / spread open / informal abbr. for bus 巴士[bā shì] / bar (unit of pressure) / nominalizing suffix on certain nouns, such as 尾巴[wěi ba], tail
Bā
Ba, a state during the Zhou dynasty (in present-day Chongqing and the eastern part of Sichuan) / the east of Sichuan and Chongqing Municipality / surname Ba / (bound form) abbr. for 巴勒斯坦[Bā lè sī tǎn] (Palestine), 巴基斯坦[Bā jī sī tǎn] (Pakistan) or 巴西[Bā xī] (Brazil)
脑
nǎo
brain / mind / head / essence

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.