盛名难副 — “Great fame difficult to match”
盛名难副 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is hard for one's actual ability or virtue to live up to a grand reputation; one's fame often exceeds their real merit. It can be used to express humility or self-admonition”. Literally, “Great fame difficult to match”.
盛名难副 Pronunciation and Pinyin
盛名难副 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 盛名难副
Origin and Story of 盛名难副
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, intellectuals entered officialdom through recommendations and conscription. Huang Qiong, who came from an illustrious family, was recommended by numerous high officials to the capital for an appointment.
When he arrived at Songyang County near Luoyang, he feigned illness and refused to proceed.
His close friend Li Gu wrote to him, urging him to accept the official position. Li Gu warned that if Huang Qiong didn't go, people would say, 'Under such a great reputation, reality is hard to match.'
Inspired by this, Huang Qiong resolved to prove himself worthy of his reputation through his actions.
Idioms Related to 盛名难副
Synonyms of 盛名难副
Antonyms of 盛名难副
More idioms starting with 盛
- shèng盛bù不wàng忘shuāi衰remember decline during prosperity
- shèng盛kuàng况kōng空qián前unprecedented grand occasion
- shèng盛míng名zhī之xià下，，qí其shí实nán难fù副reality struggles to match great fame
- shèng盛míng名zhī之xià下，，qí其shí实nán难fú符Great fame is hard to live up to
- shèng盛yàn宴nán难zài再Good times are rare and fleeting
- shèng盛dé德bù不mǐn泯Noble virtues never perish
- shèng盛dé德yí遗fàn范legacy of great virtue and exemplary conduct
- shèng盛bì必lǜ虑shuāi衰anticipate decline during prosperity
- shèng盛qíng情nán难què却Hard to decline a kind offer
- shèng盛shǔ暑qí祁hán寒intense summer and severe winter
- shèng盛jí极yī一shí时flourish greatly for a time
- shèng盛jí极bì必shuāi衰What goes up must come down
Recommended tools
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →Questions about 盛名难副
What does 盛名难副 mean?
盛名难副 (shèng míng nán fù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is hard for one's actual ability or virtue to live up to a grand reputation; one's fame often exceeds their real merit. It can be used to express humility or self-admonition”.
How do you pronounce 盛名难副?
盛名难副 is pronounced shèng míng nán fù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 盛名难副 literally mean?
Literally, 盛名难副 means “Great fame difficult to match”. It is used to mean “it is hard for one's actual ability or virtue to live up to a grand reputation; one's fame often exceeds their real merit. It can be used to express humility or self-admonition”.
Where does 盛名难副 come from?
盛名难副 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 盛名难副?
盛：大；副：相称，符合。名望很大的人，实际的才德常是很难跟名声相符。指名声常常可能大于实际。用来表示谦虚或自我警戒。