人不可貌相 — “You can't judge a book by its cover”
人不可貌相 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “You can't judge a book by its cover”. Appearances can be deceiving. Literally, “One cannot judge a person by their appearance”.
人不可貌相 Pronunciation and Pinyin
人不可貌相 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 人不可貌相
Origin and Story of 人不可貌相
In ancient times, Qin Chong, a humble oil vendor, fell deeply in love with the famous courtesan, Hua Kui Niangzi. He was devoted to her. Hua Kui also had feelings for him.
To afford the ten taels of silver for a single night's lodging, Qin Chong worked tirelessly, saving every penny. Even the shop assistants at the silver store were moved, exclaiming, "You can't judge a person by their appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a dipper."
Later, Hua Kui escaped the plight of the courtesan's life and married Qin Chong. They lived a life of loving devotion together.
Idioms Related to 人不可貌相
Antonyms of 人不可貌相
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
- rén人zhōng中shī狮zǐ子preeminent person
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Open the tool →Questions about 人不可貌相
What does 人不可貌相 mean?
人不可貌相 (rén bù kě mào xiàng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “You can't judge a book by its cover”.
How do you pronounce 人不可貌相?
人不可貌相 is pronounced rén bù kě mào xiàng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 人不可貌相 literally mean?
Literally, 人不可貌相 means “one cannot judge a person by their appearance”. It is used to mean “You can't judge a book by its cover”.
Where does 人不可貌相 come from?
人不可貌相 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 人不可貌相?
不能只根据相貌、外表判断一个人。