外刚内柔

Traditional: 外剛內柔

wài gāng nèi róu

Dictionary entry

soft on the inside despite one's hard shell

What does 外刚内柔 mean?

外刚内柔 (wài gāng nèi róu) has the following dictionary meaning.

1soft on the inside despite one's hard shell

2appearing tough on the outside as to mask one's inner vulnerability

3also written 內柔外剛|内柔外刚[nei4 rou2 wai4 gang1]

Character breakdown

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外wàioutside · in addition 刚gāng(literary) hard; firm; strong · exactly; precisely 内nèiinside · inner 柔róusoft · flexible

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 外刚内柔

外刚内柔

wài gāng nèi róu

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.