名副其实

• Pinyin: míng fù qí shí
• Hanzi breakdown: 名 = 夕 (evening) + 口 (mouth) — calling one's name in the dark; 副 = 畐 (filled) + 刀 (knife) — to accord with, to match; 其 = 其 — its; 实 = 宀 (roof) + 贯 (thread through) — substance, reality

Meaning

Worthy of the name; true to one's reputation; living up to one's title. Used when something or someone truly matches their description, name, or claimed status.

A four-character idiom (成语). The antonym is 名不副实 — not living up to the name. Used in professional assessments, product reviews, policy evaluations, and formal writing to affirm that a subject's reputation is well-deserved. Carries a tone of validation and endorsement.

Examples

1. 经过三年的深度合作，这家咨询公司用扎实的数据分析能力和切实有效的解决方案证明了自己名副其实，赢得了客户的充分信任和长期续约。 After three years of deep collaboration, the consulting firm proved it truly deserved its reputation with rigorous data analysis and practical, effective solutions, earning the client’s full trust and a long-term renewal.
2. 这座被誉为东方威尼斯的水乡古镇名副其实，纵横交错的水道、错落有致的白墙黛瓦和随处可见的乌篷船共同构成了令人叹为观止的江南水乡画卷。 This waterside town known as the “Venice of the East” truly lives up to the name: its crisscrossing canals, white walls and dark-tiled roofs, and the black-canopied boats seen everywhere together create a breathtaking Jiangnan water-town scene.
3. 该校的学生乐团名副其实地代表了学校的最高艺术水准，在国际青少年音乐节上以精湛的演奏技艺和充沛的音乐表现力征服了来自世界各地的评审。 The school’s student orchestra truly represents the school’s highest artistic standards; at an international youth music festival, it won over judges from around the world with superb technique and vibrant musical expression.

Usage Guide

Context: professional assessment, journalism, product review, policy evaluation, academic writing

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 这款降噪耳机在实测中名副其实，降噪和还原都达到了同类最高水准。(This noise-canceling headset is true to its reputation in real-world testing, with both noise reduction and sound reproduction reaching the highest level in its class.)
• 经过实地核查，这位被誉为乡村教育守护者的退休教师名副其实，她在偏远山区任教的四十年间，亲手培育了无数走出大山、改变命运的莘莘学子。(After on-site verification, this retired teacher hailed as a guardian of rural education truly lives up to her name — over her forty years teaching in remote mountainous areas, she personally nurtured countless students who walked out of the mountains and transformed their destinies.)

Don't Say

• 将'名副其实'用于讽刺或负面语境 — 该成语在标准用法中含有肯定和认可的正面色彩，若要表达名不符实或名过其实，应使用其反义成语'名不副实'或'徒有虚名' (Do not use 名副其实 in ironic or negative contexts — this idiom in standard usage carries a positive tone of affirmation and endorsement; to express that something does not live up to its name, use the antonym idioms 名不副实 or 徒有虚名 instead)

Origin & History

名 (name, reputation) + 副 (accord with) + 其 (its) + 实 (reality, substance). Literally: the name accords with its reality. A classical four-character idiom meaning that the name or title truly matches the actual substance.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal