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表里如一

biǎo lǐ rú yī

the same inside and out; genuine

Character by character

表biǎo
outside
里lǐ
inside
如rú
as
一yī
one

Example

他是一个表里如一的人,从来不说假话。
He’s genuine through and through and never lies.

Tone: positive (praise).

Usage and origin

What someone shows is what they really think.

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