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口是心非
口是心非
口是心非
口是心非
口是心非
口是心非
口是心非
口是心非
口是心非
口是心非

口是心非 — “To say one thing and mean another”

口是心非 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to say one thing and mean another”. To be duplicitous in speech; to be hypocritical. Literally, “mouth says yes, heart says no”.

Frequency

口是心非 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 口kǒu
  • 是shì
  • 心xīn
  • 非fēi

口是心非 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
口
kǒu3mouth, opening, entrance
是
shì9to be, yes, right
心
xīn4heart, mind, core
非
fēi8not, non-, wrong

Example Sentence with 口是心非

他这个人总是口是心非,你很难知道他真实的想法。
He always says one thing and means another, it's hard to know his true thoughts.

Idioms Related to 口是心非

Synonyms of 口是心非

  • yán言bù不yóu由zhōng衷speak insincerely
  • yáng阳fèng奉yīn阴wéi违outwardly agree, inwardly disobey

Antonyms of 口是心非

  • biǎo表lǐ里rú如yī一consistent in word and deed
  • yán言wéi为xīn心shēng声Words are the voice of the heart
  • yán言xíng行yī一zhì致words and actions consistent

More idioms starting with 口

  • kǒu口bù不èr二jià价quote a fixed price
  • kǒu口bù不yìng应xīn心say one thing, mean another
  • kǒu口bù不zé择yán言blurt out whatever comes to mind
  • kǒu口bù不jué绝yín吟recite continuously without stopping
  • kǒu口zhōng中zǎo蚤shī虱an extremely trivial opponent or challenge
  • kǒu口zhōng中cí雌huáng黄casually contradict oneself
  • kǒu口chuán传xīn心shòu授oral instruction, mental reception
  • kǒu口sì似xuán悬hé河speak eloquently and volubly
  • kǒu口chū出bù不xùn逊speak disrespectfully or insolently
  • kǒu口chū出dà大yán言to boast or brag
  • kǒu口chū出kuáng狂yán言speak arrogantly or boastfully
  • kǒu口kou口shēng声shēng声repeatedly declare

Questions about 口是心非

What does 口是心非 mean?
口是心非 (kǒu shì xīn fēi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to say one thing and mean another”.
How do you pronounce 口是心非?
口是心非 is pronounced kǒu shì xīn fēi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 口是心非 literally mean?
Literally, 口是心非 means “mouth says yes, heart says no”. It is used to mean “to say one thing and mean another”.
What is the Chinese definition of 口是心非?
嘴里说得很好,心里想的却是另一套。指心口不一致。
Copy the pinyin for 口是心非 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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