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“You can’t judge a book by its cover” means that you should reserve judgment regarding external appearances.  What you initially conclude about a matter may not be accurate, your assessment may not be reliable.

It can be used to describe vanity.  The first example implies that.

In some cases, one could substitute this phrase with “all that glitters is not gold“.  Here’s an example:

“Candy is really very beautiful, but once you get to know her, she’s very phony and shallow.  You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Here’s an example where “all that glitters is not gold” would not work:

“Oliver drove an old car and his clothes were not at all fashionable, but in reality he was one of the wealthiest men in town.  You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Is there a way you can express “you can’t judge a book by its cover” in Chinese?   If there is, please leave a message in the comment section!  Comments are always welcome.  So are questions!  You can leave a question in the comment section or a special location “English Questions”.

Susan Boyle looks rather plain, but she's a fabulous singer. She became world famous on the British talent show "Britain's Got Talent". You can't judge a book by its cover.