美其名曰

měiqímíngyuē
idiom #48,570

Meanings

  1. 1 to call (something unpleasant) by a fine-sounding name
  2. 2 to dignify with the name of...
  3. 3 euphemistically termed

Examples

Tā zhěngtiān bù gōngzuò, měiqímíngyuē "zìyóu zhíyè zhě".
He doesn't work all day and dignifies it with the name "freelancer."
Bǎ tuōyán měiqímíngyuē "shēnsīshúlǜ", shízài kěxiào.
Calling procrastination "careful deliberation" is honestly laughable.

Tips

usage
Almost always sarcastic or critical — used when a speaker puts a flattering label on something really bad, lazy, or selfish. Followed by the grand name in quotes or after .
grammar
Literally "beautify + its + name + saying." The structure +N+ is classical; (yuē) means "to call" or "named." Frequently punctuated with quotation marks around the fancy label.

Stroke Order

měi
míng
yuē