知人知面不知心

Chinese

		to know; to be aware	man; person; people	to know; to be aware	face; side; surface face; side; surface; aspect; top	not; no	to know; to be aware	heart; mind
simp. and trad. (知人知面不知心)		知	人	知	面	不	知	心
Literally: “know the person, know the face, but not know the heart”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zhīrénzhīmiànbùzhīxīn

  (Zhuyin): ㄓ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi¹ jan⁴ zi¹ min⁶ bat¹ zi¹ sam¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): ti-jîn ti-biān put-ti-sim

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhīrénzhīmiànbùzhīxīn
    • Zhuyin: ㄓ ㄖㄣˊ ㄓ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄒㄧㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhihrénjhihmiànbùjhihsin
    • Wade–Giles: chih¹-jên²-chih¹-mien⁴-pu⁴-chih¹-hsin¹
    • Yale: jr̄-rén-jr̄-myàn-bù-jr̄-syīn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jyrenjymiannbujyshin
    • Palladius: чжижэньчжимяньбучжисинь (čžižɛnʹčžimjanʹbučžisinʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi¹ jan⁴ zi¹ min⁶ bat¹ zi¹ sam¹
    • Yale: jī yàhn jī mihn bāt jī sām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi¹ jan⁴ dzi¹ min⁶ bat⁷ dzi¹ sam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji¹ yen⁴ ji¹ min⁶ bed¹ ji¹ sem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ miːn²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ti-jîn ti-biān put-ti-sim
    • Tâi-lô: ti-jîn ti-biān put-ti-sim
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dijiin di'bien putdisym
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ti⁴⁴⁻²² d͡zin²⁴⁻²² ti⁴⁴⁻²² biɛn²²⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ ti⁴⁴⁻²² sim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ti³³ d͡zin²⁴⁻²² ti³³ biɛn⁴¹⁻²² put̚⁵⁻²⁴ ti³³ sim³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ti⁴⁴⁻²² d͡zin¹³⁻²² ti⁴⁴⁻²² biɛn²²⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁵ ti⁴⁴⁻²² sim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ti⁴⁴⁻³³ d͡zin²⁴⁻¹¹ ti⁴⁴⁻³³ biɛn³³⁻¹¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ ti⁴⁴⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ti⁴⁴⁻³³ zin²³⁻³³ ti⁴⁴⁻³³ biɛn³³⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ ti⁴⁴⁻³³ sim⁴⁴/

Proverb

1. One may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature.

Synonyms

• 人心隔肚皮 (rénxīn gé dùpí)