外強中乾 wài qiáng zhōng gān

strong in appearance but weak in reality (idiom)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. strong in appearance but weak in reality (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
外 wài HSK 2
outside; external; foreign
強 qiáng
strong; powerful; better
中 zhōng HSK 1
in; within; middle
乾 gān
surname Qian