似是而非
- Literal
- seems right but is not
- Figurative
- Seemingly right at first glance but wrong on closer inspection; said of misleading ideas, arguments, or answers, much like "specious."
Where does 似是而非 come from?
In the Mencius, in the chapter Jin xin, Confucius is credited with this complaint: "I detest what seems to be but is not." He explains it with examples: he detests weeds because they can be mistaken for young grain, glibness because it can be mistaken for righteousness, purple because it can be mistaken for red, and the sham village worthy because he can be mistaken for the truly virtuous. The danger, he suggests, lies not in what is openly bad but in what resembles the good. There the wording was 似而非; the fixed form added 是. Today it describes misleading ideas, theories, or answers.
Source (出处): 《孟子·尽心下》
How is 似是而非 used? Two examples
- 网上很多养生建议似是而非，照着做反而伤身体。
A lot of the health tips online sound right but aren't; following them can actually do you harm.
- 考试最怕这种似是而非的选项，一不小心就选错了。
On a test, the worst are answers that look right but aren't; one slip and you pick the wrong one.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
