外强中干 (wài qiáng zhōng gān) — strong in appearance but weak in reality; a pap…

Definition

Idiom: 'strong outside, dry within' — something that looks powerful on the surface but is actually hollow and weak inside, like a paper tiger.

idiom

strong in appearance but weak in realitya paper tiger

，外强中干，。
Zhè jiā gōng sī kàn qǐ lái hěn qiáng, qí shí shì wài qiáng zhōng gān, yǐ jīng qiàn le hěn duō qián.
This company looks strong, but in reality it's a paper tiger, already in a lot of debt.
，外强中干，。
Tā wài biǎo hěn qiáng, qí shí shì wài qiáng zhōng gān, yí yù dào wèn tí jiù huāng le.
He looks tough on the surface, but he's a paper tiger; he panics as soon as he faces a problem.
，外强中干。
Dí rén de jūn duì biǎo miàn shàng hěn qiáng dà, shí jì shang shì wài qiáng zhōng gān.
The enemy's army appears powerful on the surface, but is actually a paper tiger.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

月

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

The simplified 干 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饼干, 干杯) it is 乾; in others (干, 干活儿) (干扰) it is 幹 or 干.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 乾; 干 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

倝

倝gàn乾gān

Same sound today