刚中柔外 — “Outwardly gentle but inwardly firm”
刚中柔外 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “outwardly gentle but inwardly firm”. An iron fist in a velvet glove. Literally, “hard inside, soft outside”.
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刚中柔外 Pronunciation and Pinyin
刚中柔外 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 刚中柔外
她虽然表面上总是轻声细语，但处理问题时却刚中柔外，从不轻易动摇。
Although she always speaks softly on the surface, she is outwardly gentle but inwardly firm when handling problems, never wavering easily.
Idioms Related to 刚中柔外
Synonyms of 刚中柔外
More idioms starting with 刚
- gāng刚kè克róu柔kè克adapt approach with firmness or gentleness
- gāng刚bì愎zì自yòng用obstinately self-willed and opinionated
- gāng刚lì戾zì自yòng用obstinate and self-opinionated
- gāng刚róu柔xiāng相jì济blend strength with gentleness
- gāng刚zhèng正bù不ē阿Upright, firm, and impartial
- gāng刚zhèng正wú无sī私upright and selfless
- gāng刚yì毅mù木nè讷firm, resolute, simple, and cautious in speech
- gāng刚zhí直bù不ē阿upright and unbending
- gāng刚cháng肠jí嫉è恶upright and detesting evil
- gāng刚biǎn褊zì自yòng用stubbornly self-willed and narrow-minded
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Open the tool →Questions about 刚中柔外
What does 刚中柔外 mean?
刚中柔外 (gāng zhōng róu wài) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “outwardly gentle but inwardly firm”.
How do you pronounce 刚中柔外?
刚中柔外 is pronounced gāng zhōng róu wài in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 刚中柔外 literally mean?
Literally, 刚中柔外 means “hard inside, soft outside”. It is used to mean “outwardly gentle but inwardly firm”.
What is the Chinese definition of 刚中柔外?
刚：刚硬，坚强；中：里，内心；柔：软弱，柔和。表面柔顺，内里刚强。指人外柔而内刚的性格。也指外表和好，内藏杀机的策略。