JLPT N1Four-character idioms
羊頭狗肉
- Meaning
- 見かけは立派だが実質が伴わないこと
- Explanation
- 「羊頭狗肉」 is an abbreviation of 「羊頭を懸けて狗肉を売る」 (hang up a sheep's head but sell dog meat). It comes from the image of displaying a sheep's head as a signboard at a shop while actually selling dog meat, and refers to something whose appearance or advertising is impressive but whose substance does not match. It is used to criticize exaggerated advertising or things that are good in name only. c1 and c4 are mistakes led astray by the literal characters and miss the core point of the gap between appearance and substance.
Original Japanese explanation
「羊頭狗肉」は「羊頭を懸けて狗肉を売る」の略で、店先に羊の頭を看板に掲げながら実際は犬の肉を売る意から、見かけや宣伝は立派だが中身が伴わないことをいう。誇大広告や名ばかりの実態を批判する場面で使う。c1・c4 は字面に引きずられた誤りで、外見と実質の落差という核心を外している。
Quick check
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