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阳奉阴违

yáng fèng yīn wéi

4-character word Traditional 陽奉陰違

What 阳奉阴违 means

1. outward devotion but inner opposition (idiom); to pay lip service
2. to agree overtly, but oppose in secret

The characters in 阳奉阴违

• 阳yángpositive (electric.); sun; male principle (Taoism)
• 奉fèngto offer (tribute); to present respectfully (to superior, ancestor, deity etc); to esteem
• 阴yīnovercast (weather); cloudy; shady
• 违wéito disobey; to violate; to separate

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read yáng fèng yīn wéi correctly.
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