咬人狗兒不露齒 yǎo rén gǒu r bù lù chǐ

a real threat hides; dangerous people seem mild

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. You can't tell the really dangerous enemy from his external appearance.
  2. 2. lit. the dog that bites does not show its fangs (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
咬 yǎo HSK 5
to bite; to nip; variant of 咬yǎo
人 rén HSK 1
person; people; man
狗 gǒu HSK 1
dog
兒 r
non-syllabic diminutive suffix; retroflex final; child
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
露 lù HSK 6
to show; to reveal; to expose
齒 chǐ
tooth