人不像人，鬼不像鬼

Chinese

		man; person; people	not; no	(look) like; similar (to); appearance (look) like; similar (to); appearance; to appear; to seem; image; portrait; resemble; seem	man; person; people		ghost; sly; crafty	not; no	(look) like; similar (to); appearance (look) like; similar (to); appearance; to appear; to seem; image; portrait; resemble; seem	ghost; sly; crafty
trad. (人不像人，鬼不像鬼)		人	不	像	人	，	鬼	不	像	鬼
simp. #(人不像人，鬼不像鬼)		人	不	像	人	，	鬼	不	像	鬼
Literally: “(A place or circumstance where) people do not resemble people, and ghosts do not resemble ghosts”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rén bù xiàng rén, guǐ bù xiàng guǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ , ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄍㄨㄟˇ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rén bù xiàng rén, guǐ bù xiàng guǐ [Phonetic: rén bú xiàng rén, guǐ bú xiàng guǐ]
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ , ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄍㄨㄟˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rén bù siàng rén, guěi bù siàng guěi
    • Wade–Giles: jên² pu⁴ hsiang⁴ jên², kuei³ pu⁴ hsiang⁴ kuei³
    • Yale: rén bù syàng rén-, gwěi bù syàng gwěi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ren bu shianq ren, goei bu shianq goei
    • Palladius: жэнь бу сян жэнь, гуй бу сян гуй (žɛnʹ bu sjan žɛnʹ, guj bu sjan guj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Idiom

人不像人，鬼不像鬼

1. pure misery

   我過了四年人不像人鬼不像鬼的生活。 [MSC, trad.]
   我过了四年人不像人鬼不像鬼的生活。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ guò le sì nián rénbùxiàngrén guǐbùxiàngguǐ de shēnghuó. [Pinyin]

   For four years, I lived a life of pure misery.

2. ghastly

   別支持人不像人鬼不像鬼的勞退金新制。 [MSC, trad.]
   别支持人不像人鬼不像鬼的劳退金新制。 [MSC, simp.]

   Bié zhīchí rénbùxiàngrén guǐbùxiàngguǐ de láotuìjīn xīnzhì. [Pinyin]

   Don't support the new ghastly labor retirement system.

Synonyms

• (Cantonese) 人唔似人，鬼唔似鬼 (jan4 m4 ci5 jan4, gwai2 m4 ci5 gwai2)