皮笑肉不笑 in English pi2 xiao4 rou4 bu4 xiao4 Meaning

Meanings

• to put on a fake smile (idiomatic expression)
• to smile insincerely

Pinyin

pi2 xiao4 rou4 bu4 xiao4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

皮pi2surname Pi 笑xiao4old variant of 笑[xiao4] 肉rou4meat 不bu4(negative prefix) 笑xiao4old variant of 笑[xiao4]