Definition
空壳 literally means 'empty shell' but is most commonly used figuratively to describe a company that exists on paper only (a shell company), or any person/thing that appears to have substance but lacks real content. It's a noun often used with 个 or 家 as a classifier.
n
(figurative) shell companyhollow entity with no real substance(literal) empty shell (e.g., of an egg, nut, etc.)
Examples
- 空壳。Zhège dàn zhǐ shèng yí gè kōng le.This egg is just an empty shell.
- 空壳，。Nà jiā gōngsī yǐjīng biànchéng le yí gè kōng, méiyǒu shíjì yèwù.That company has become an empty shell with no actual business.
- 空壳，。Tā de chéngnuò zhǐshì yí gè kōng, méiyǒu shíjì xíngdòng.His promise is just an empty shell with no real action.
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