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míng 名 fù 副 qí 其 shí 实

名副其实 míng fù qí shí

to live up to one's name; worthy of the title

Literally: name match its reality

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Origin

Descriptive; no single source story. Derived from the classical idea of 名实相副, names matching reality, discussed in the Han Feizi and later texts.

How to use it

Attributive or predicate; positive. Often 名副其实的……

Example sentences

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  1. 这里四季如春，是名副其实的“春城”。
    Zhèlǐ sìjì rú chūn, shì míng fù qí shí de "chūnchéng".
    It's spring here all year round; it truly deserves the name 'City of Spring'.
    here four-seasons like spring, is name match its reality (particle) spring-city
  2. 他是名副其实的好老师，学生们都很尊敬他。
    Tā shì míng fù qí shí de hǎo lǎoshī, xuéshengmen dōu hěn zūnjìng tā.
    He is a good teacher in every sense, and the students all respect him.
    he is name match its reality (particle) good teacher, students all very respect him

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