名不副实

名不副實
míngbù-fùshí
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

HSK 3
Tā dāng le gè míngbù-fùshí de jīnglǐ, shénme shì dōu bùnéng juédìng.
He's a manager in name only - he can't decide anything.
HSK 6
Rúguǒ fúwù zhème chà, zhège pǐnpái jiù míngbù-fùshí le.
If the service is this bad, the brand doesn't deserve its reputation.
HSK 7-9
Zhè jiā suǒwèi de wǔxīngjí jiǔdiàn qíshí míngbù-fùshí.
This so-called five-star hotel doesn't live up to its name.

Tips

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

Stroke Order

míng
shí