Chinese idiom · 成语
名不虚传
Meaning
Reputation not in vain; fame well-earned.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical commentaryAn important possible antecedent lies in Sima Qian's appraisal of Lord Mengchang in the Records of the Grand Historian. After visiting Xue, he asks about its unusual local population and is told of the many people attracted there by Mengchang's hospitality. Sima Qian concludes that Mengchang's reputation for welcoming guests was not empty: 名不虛矣.
A related judgment, 名不虛立, appears in the history's discussion of wandering knights. Neither is the full modern phrase. The idiom adds the sense of a reputation being passed around and then confirmed by experience. It is normally praise: the admired person, place, or skill genuinely lives up to what others have said.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
大家都说这家店的面好吃，今天尝过才知道名不虚传。
Everyone praises this shop's noodles, and after trying them today I can see they deserve their reputation.
Usually confirms a good reputation after direct experience.