徒有虚名

徒有虛名
túyǒuxūmíng
  1. with an undeserved reputation (idiom); unwarranted fame
  2. nowhere near as good as he's made out to be

CEDICT

to have a reputation for something one actually lacks; having a fake reputation

Wiktionary

空有名声，名与实不相符合。《三国演义．第九五回》：「徒有虚名，乃庸才耳！孔明用如此人物，如何不误事！」《老残游记．第七回》：「在嵩山少林寺学棒，学了些时，觉得徒有虚名，无甚出奇制胜处。」也作「徒负虚名」、「徒有其名」。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

1 徒 tú
  1. (bound form) disciple; apprentice; believer; (derog.) wrongdoer (as in 骗徒 piàntú "swindler" or 叛徒 pàntú "traitor" etc)
  2. (bound form) on foot
  3. (bound form) bare; empty
  4. (bound form) to no avail; in vain
  5. (bound form) merely; just; only
  6. (bound form) prison sentence
2 有 yǒu
  1. to have; there is
  2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 yǒuyì intentional)
3 虚名 xūmíng false reputation

Related entries

徒有其名 túyǒuqímíng
  1. with an undeserved reputation (idiom); unwarranted fame
  2. nowhere near as good as he's made out to be