华而不实

華而不實

huá'ér-bùshí

idiom #17,124

Meanings

Literally 'flowery but not fruitful' - looks good but lacks real content.

HSK 4

这篇文章写得华而不实，没什么干货。

Zhè piān wénzhāng xiě de huá'ér-bùshí, méishénme gānhuò.

This article is all style and no substance - there's nothing solid in it.

HSK 4

他的方案听起来很好，但实际上华而不实。

Tā de fāng'àn tīngqǐlái hěn hǎo, dàn shíjìshàng huá'ér-bùshí.

His plan sounds great, but in reality it's all flash and no substance.

history

From 《左传》: 华 originally referred to the flower of a plant, 实 to its fruit. A plant that flowers but bears no fruit - beautiful outside, empty inside.

华 huá

而 ér

不 bù

实 shí