名不副实

名不副實
míngbùfùshí
idiom #41,376

Meanings

  1. 1 the name does not match the reality
  2. 2 undeserving of the reputation
  3. 3 in name only

Examples

Zhè jiā suǒwèi de wǔxīngjí jiǔdiàn qíshí míngbùfùshí.
This so-called five-star hotel doesn't live up to its name.
Tā dāngle gè míngbùfùshí de jīnglǐ, shénme shì dōu bùnéng juédìng.
He's a manager in name only — he can't decide anything.
Rúguǒ fúwù zhème chà, zhège pǐnpái jiù míngbùfùshí le.
If the service is this bad, the brand doesn't deserve its reputation.

Tips

history
From the Eastern Han rhapsody 《鹦鹉》 by Mi Heng: "" — he feared his reputation would not match his ability. Liu Shao's Three Kingdoms-era 《人物·》 formalized it as "名不副实."
mistakes
here reads fù (to correspond / to match), not pèi. Do not write 不符 in formal contexts — is the classical, standard form, though is sometimes accepted.

Stroke Order

míng
shí