似是而非

sìshì'érfēi

idiom HSK 7-9 #35,367

Meanings

1 apparently right but actually wrong
2 specious
3 seemingly correct but actually false

Characters

Literally 'seems right but is wrong' — plausible but actually false

Examples

他的回答似是而非，让人摸不着头脑。

Tā de huídá sìshì'érfēi, ràng rén mōbuzháotóunǎo.

His answer was specious and left people confused.

网上有很多似是而非的健康建议。

Wǎngshàng yǒu hěnduō sìshì'érfēi de jiànkāng jiànyì.

There is a lot of specious health advice online.

Tips

usage

似是而非 is used to criticize something that sounds correct on the surface but is actually misleading or wrong. Often used for arguments, advice, or reasoning.

Stroke Order

似 sì

是 shì

而 ér

非 fēi