色厲內荏

Chinese

		colour; dice; look colour; dice; look; appearance	severe	inside; inner; internal inside; inner; internal; within; interior	Perilla frutescens; soft
trad. (色厲內荏)		色	厲	內	荏
simp. (色厉内荏)		色	厉	内	荏

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 17 (《論語·陽貨》):

子曰：「色厲而內荏，譬諸小人，其猶穿窬之盜也與？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子曰：「色厉而内荏，譬诸小人，其犹穿窬之盗也与？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐyuē: “Sè lì ér nèi rěn, pì zhū xiǎorén, qí yóu chuān yú zhī dào yě yú?” [Pinyin]

The Master said, "He who puts on an appearance of stern firmness, while inwardly he is weak, is like one of the small, mean people - yea, is he not like the thief who breaks through, or climbs over, a wall?"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sèlìnèirěn

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄜˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄋㄟˋ ㄖㄣˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sik¹ lai⁶ noi⁶ jam⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sèlìnèirěn
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄜˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄋㄟˋ ㄖㄣˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sèlìnèirěn
    • Wade–Giles: sê⁴-li⁴-nei⁴-jên³
    • Yale: sè-lì-nèi-rěn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sehlihneyreen
    • Palladius: сэлинэйжэнь (sɛlinɛjžɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɤ⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ neɪ̯⁵¹ ʐən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sik¹ lai⁶ noi⁶ jam⁵
    • Yale: sīk laih noih yáhm
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sik⁷ lai⁶ noi⁶ jam⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: xig¹ lei⁶ noi⁶ yem⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɪk̚⁵ lɐi̯²² nɔːi̯²² jɐm¹³/

Idiom

色厲內荏

1. to appear tough on the outside but be weak and timid on the inside