mào 貌 hé 合 shén 神 lí 离

貌合神离 mào hé shén lí

united in appearance but divided at heart; seemingly harmonious but actually estranged

Literally: appearance united spirit apart

Advanced 🤝 Friendship & family

🃏 Practise advanced chengyu

Tap a character above to see its stroke order and the words it appears in.

Origin

From the Huangshi Gong Sanlüe (Han dynasty): 貌合心离者孤 — one whose followers agree outwardly but differ inwardly is isolated.

How to use it

Predicate or attributive; negative. Often 夫妻貌合神离 or 貌合神离的联盟.

Example sentences

Show:

Tap any word for its meaning and pinyin. The chengyu is highlighted.

他们夫妻早已貌合神离，只是为了孩子才没有离婚。

Tāmen fūqī zǎoyǐ mào hé shén lí, zhǐshì wèile háizi cái méiyǒu líhūn.

The couple have long been together in name only; it is only for the children that they have not divorced.

they husband-wife long-ago appearance united spirit apart, only in order to child only-then not-have divorce
这个联盟貌合神离，成员国各怀心思。

Zhège liánméng mào hé shén lí, chéngyuánguó gè huái xīnsi.

This alliance is united only on the surface; each member state harbours its own agenda.

this (measure) alliance appearance united spirit apart, member state each harbour thought

More chengyu about friendship & family

All friendship & family chengyu →