📖 Meaning
Describes a manner or appearance that is proper, presentable, and up to standard, often carrying a solemn or grand air. It suggests that something is done in a way that looks correct, well-organized, and fitting of an expected form, so as to be taken seriously.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 儿女英雄传 (Ernü Yingxiong Zhuan, 'The Tale of Heroic Sons and Daughters') by Wen Kang, appearing in the second chapter. In the passage, a servant tells his master that with this official transfer, he must respond to the higher-ups' favor in a proper, presentable manner — 像模像样 — to show due respect. The phrase is built on the reduplicative 像…像… structure, literally meaning 'resembling a proper model and a proper form,' and later became a fixed expression for anything that looks decent, serious, and well-proportioned.
💡 Example Usage
他穿上新买的西装，整个人看起来像模像样。
He put on his newly bought suit and looked quite presentable from head to toe.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 像模像样
- Pinyin: xiàng mó xiàng yàng
- Literal Translation: like, model, like, appearance
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4