形式 (xíng shì) — form; outer appearance (as opposed to content); (mere) formality (something done for appearance, lacking substance)

Definition

Examples

• 我们不能只看形式，还要看内容。
  Wǒ men bù néng zhī kàn xíng shì, hái yào kàn nèi róng.
  We can't just look at the form; we also need to look at the content.
• 这两家公司用了不同的组织形式。
  Zhè liǎng jiā gōng sī yòng le bù tóng de zǔ zhī xíng shì.
  These two companies use different organizational forms.
• 这个活动只是形式，没有实际内容。
  Zhè ge huó dòng zhǐ shì xíng shì, méi yǒu shí jì nèi róng.
  This activity is just a formality; there is no real substance.

Origin