虚有其表 xū yǒu qí biǎo

DEFINITIONS

  1. looks impressive but is worthless (idiom)
  2. not as good as it looks
  3. a reputation with no substance

CHARACTERS

虚 xū
HSK 5
false
有 yǒu
HSK 1
have, own, possess; exist
其 qí
HSK 3
his, her, its, their; that
表 biǎo
HSK 2
show, express, manifest, display