色厉内荏

Origin and story

In the Analects' Yang Huo chapter, Confucius criticizes people whose outward manner is severe but whose inner character is weak. He compares them, among petty people, to thieves who break through or climb over walls. The point is a contrast between an intimidating appearance and an unworthy or fearful interior; no particular named bully is identified in the saying.

The original includes the connecting word er between the two halves. Later writers use the compact four-character form. Se concerns one's appearance or demeanor, li its severity, and ren inward weakness. The idiom criticizes a person's bluff or brittle show of authority, not ordinary physical frailty.