What does 有名无实 mean?

有名无实 (yǒu míng wú shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Existing in name only”.

How do you pronounce 有名无实?

有名无实 is pronounced yǒu míng wú shí in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 有名无实 literally mean?

Literally, 有名无实 means “Having a name but no substance”. It is used to mean “Existing in name only”.

Where does 有名无实 come from?

有名无实 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 有名无实?

光有空名，实际上并不是那样。

有名无实 — “Existing in name only”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 有名无实?

光有空名，实际上并不是那样。

有名无实 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Existing in name only”. Titular; nominal; a mere figurehead. Literally, “Having a name but no substance”.

Frequency

有名无实 Pronunciation and Pinyin

有yǒu
名míng
无wú
实shí

有名无实 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
有	yǒu	6	to have or to exist
名	míng	6	name, reputation, famous
无	wú	4	without, not having
实	shí	8	real, solid, true, actual

Example Sentence with 有名无实

这个项目虽然获得了批准，但由于资金迟迟未能到位，至今仍是有名无实，没有实际进展。

Although this project has been approved, due to the prolonged delay in funding, it remains in name only with no actual progress to date.

Origin and Story of 有名无实

The idiom 'You Ming Wu Shi' originates from 'Guo Yu, Jin Yu Ba' (Discourses of the States, Discourses of Jin VIII). One day, Shu Xiang, a grandee from the Jin state, visited his old friend Han Xuanzi. Han Xuanzi was one of the six ministers of Jin at the time, holding a very high position.

However, upon seeing Shu Xiang, he sighed continuously, complaining about his poverty. Unexpectedly, Shu Xiang, hearing this, stood up and bowed, congratulating him.

Han Xuanzi asked, puzzled, 'I have the name of a minister, but none of the actual substance. I cannot compare with other grandees. I am distressed by this, so why do you congratulate me?' Shu Xiang solemnly replied, 'I congratulate you precisely because of your poverty! Poverty is not necessarily a bad thing. You only need to recall the experiences of Yi Wuzi's three generations to understand.'

Shu Xiang knew that Han Xuanzi was well aware of the different fates of Yi Wuzi's three generations, which is why he specifically brought it up. Finally, he added, 'Seeing you in such poverty, like Yi Wuzi, makes me think you possess his virtues, and that is why I offer my congratulations. Otherwise, I would only worry, and certainly not congratulate you.'

Han Xuanzi, upon hearing Shu Xiang's words, immediately dispelled his worries. He bowed to Shu Xiang and said, 'Thank you for your guidance. Otherwise, I would not even know that I was heading towards ruin.'

Idioms Related to 有名无实

Synonyms of 有名无实

Antonyms of 有名无实

More idioms starting with 有

Questions about 有名无实

What does 有名无实 mean?: 有名无实 (yǒu míng wú shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Existing in name only”.
How do you pronounce 有名无实?: 有名无实 is pronounced yǒu míng wú shí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 有名无实 literally mean?: Literally, 有名无实 means “Having a name but no substance”. It is used to mean “Existing in name only”.
Where does 有名无实 come from?: 有名无实 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 有名无实?: 光有空名，实际上并不是那样。

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