觚不觚

gūbùgū

idiom

Meanings

1 (fig.) name and reality don't match; a thing no longer what its name says
2 things have lost their proper form

Characters

(ancient cornered wine vessel)

a 觚 (proper one)

Examples

如今的传统节日，越来越像商业促销，真是觚不觚。

Rújīn de chuántǒng jiérì, yuè lái yuè xiàng shāngyè cùxiāo, zhēnshi gūbùgū.

Traditional festivals these days look more and more like commercial promotions — truly a case of name and reality no longer matching.

学校不像学校，他感叹觚不觚。

Xuéxiào bù xiàng xuéxiào, tā gǎntàn gūbùgū.

Schools don't look like schools anymore — he lamented that things had lost their proper form.

Tips

history

From the Analects (《论语·雍也》): 子曰：觚不觚，觚哉！觚哉！ Confucius sighed that the 觚 (a ritual wine vessel with corners) had become cornerless — a symbol of rituals and institutions losing their substance while keeping the name.

Stroke Order

觚 gū

不 bù