花里胡哨 (huā lǐ hú shào) — gaudy, flashy, excessively ornate (with a negative connotation of bad taste); flashy but insubstantial; all style and no substance
Definition
Colloquial adjective meaning 'gaudy and showy' in a bad way — flashy on the surface but lacking real substance or taste. Always negative, used for clothes, design, speeches, etc.
adjective
gaudyflashyexcessively ornate (with a negative connotation of bad taste)flashy but insubstantialall style and no substance
Examples
- 花里胡哨，。Zhè jiàn yī fu shè jì dé tài huā lǐ hú shào le, chuān chū qù hěn sú qi.This piece of clothing is designed too gaudily — it looks tacky to wear out.
- 花里胡哨，。Tā de yǎn jiǎng suī rán huā lǐ hú shào, dàn méi yǒu rèn hé shí jì nèi róng.His speech was flashy but had no real substance.
- 花里胡哨，。Bié bǎ wǎng yè zuò dé huā lǐ hú shào de, yòng hù xū yào de shì jiǎn jié qīng xī.Don't make the webpage too gaudy — users need simplicity and clarity.
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