dào道way/doctrinemào貌appearanceàn岸loftyrán然solemn
Sanctimonious; having an air of virtue but lacking true morality.
Literal meaning
way/doctrine (道) — appearance (貌) — lofty (岸) — solemn (然)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing hypocrisy.
Examples
Tā他yī一fù副dào道mào貌àn岸rán然de的yàng样zi子，shí实jì际shang上què却shì是gè个wěi伪jūn君zi子。
He has a sanctimonious appearance, but in reality, he is a hypocrite.
Bù不yào要bèi被tā他dào道mào貌àn岸rán然de的wài外biǎo表suǒ所mí迷huò惑。
Don't be fooled by his sanctimonious appearance.
Usage & nuances
Negative connotation; used to criticize someone's hypocrisy.
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