English–Chinese
“seemingly correct but wrong” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinsì shì ér fēi
Example
他的说法听起来有理，但其实似是而非。tā de shuō fǎ tīng qǐ lái yóu lǐ dàn qí shí sì shì ér fēi
His statement sounds reasonable, but it is actually wrong.
How to say “seemingly correct but wrong” in Chinese
“Seemingly correct but wrong” in Chinese is 似是而非 (sì shì ér fēi).
A polished-looking argument whose apparent logic breaks under close examination.
Example sentences with 似是而非
表面证据很多，但结论却似是而非。biǎo miàn zhèng jù hěn duō dàn jié lùn què sì shì ér fēi
There is plenty of surface evidence, but the conclusion sounds right and is actually wrong.
Tips for using 似是而非
- In everyday conversation, this four-character idiom has a bookish, analytical tone and fits discussions of opinions and reasoning better than casual reactions.