人面兽心 — “A person who looks human but has a cruel, savage, or depraved heart”
人面兽心 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person who looks human but has a cruel, savage, or depraved heart”. A beast in human form. Literally, “human face, beastly heart”.
人面兽心 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 人rén
- 面miàn
- 兽shòu
- 心xīn
人面兽心 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 人面兽心
Origin and Story of 人面兽心
According to ancient texts, Yang Zhu once sought wisdom from the venerable philosopher Laozi. Laozi explained that truly wise individuals judge people by their intelligence and inner character, not by their outward appearance. Common folk, however, often focus solely on looks.
He pointed out that revered figures like Fuxi, Nuwa, and Shennong, though legendary for their contributions, were often depicted with non-human features such as snake bodies with human faces, or ox heads with tiger noses, demonstrating that appearance doesn't define greatness.
In stark contrast, historical tyrants like Jie of Xia, Zhou of Yin, Duke Huan of Lu, and King Mu of Chu, despite possessing human faces, were notorious for their brutal and depraved hearts, causing immense suffering to the world. Their actions embodied the essence of '人面兽心' (human face, beastly heart), highlighting the danger of those who appear human but harbor savage cruelty within.
Idioms Related to 人面兽心
Synonyms of 人面兽心
Antonyms of 人面兽心
More idioms starting with 人
- rén人yī一jǐ己bǎi百make hundredfold effort to catch up
- rén人dīng丁xīng兴wàng旺a flourishing and growing family
- rén人bù不wèi为jǐ己，，tiān天zhū诛dì地miè灭Heaven and Earth condemn the unselfish
- rén人bù不rén人，，guǐ鬼bù不guǐ鬼looking ghastly or grotesque
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相Don't judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相，，hǎi海shuǐ水bù不kě可dǒu斗liáng量Never judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不fàn犯wǒ我，，wǒ我bù不fàn犯rén人I will not offend unless offended
- rén人bù不zhī知，，guǐ鬼bù不jué觉done in complete secrecy
- rén人bù不liáo聊shēng生people can't make a living
- rén人bù不zì自ān安people are feeling uneasy
- rén人shì世cāng沧sāng桑the vicissitudes of human life
- rén人zhōng中zhī之lóng龙an outstanding person
Questions about 人面兽心
- What does 人面兽心 mean?
- 人面兽心 (rén miàn shòu xīn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a person who looks human but has a cruel, savage, or depraved heart”.
- How do you pronounce 人面兽心?
- 人面兽心 is pronounced rén miàn shòu xīn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 人面兽心 literally mean?
- Literally, 人面兽心 means “human face, beastly heart”. It is used to mean “a person who looks human but has a cruel, savage, or depraved heart”.
- Where does 人面兽心 come from?
- 人面兽心 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 人面兽心?
- 面貌虽然是人，但心肠象野兽一样凶狠。形容为人凶残卑鄙。