金玉其外，败絮其中

Traditional form:

金玉其外，敗絮其中

Pinyin (reading):

jīnyùqíwài,bàixùqízhōng

Definitions:

• gilded exterior, shabby and ruined on the inside (idiom)

Characters:

• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 玉 - jade, gem, precious stone
• 其 - his, her, its, their; that
• 外 - out, outside, external; foreign; in addition
• 败 - failure; to decline, to fail, to suffer defeat
• 絮 - cotton padding; fluff, padding, waste; long-winded
• 其 - his, her, its, their; that
• 中 - central; center, middle; amidst; to hit (target), to attain; China; Chinese

Traditional characters:

• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 玉 - jade, gem, precious stone
• 其 - his, her, its, their; that
• 外 - out, outside, external; foreign; in addition
• 敗 - failure; to decline, to fail, to suffer defeat
• 絮 - cotton padding; fluff, padding, waste; long-winded
• 其 - his, her, its, their; that
• 中 - central; center, middle; amidst; to hit (target), to attain; China; Chinese