To be worthy of the name / live up to (不愧)

Structure Subject + 不愧 (为 / 是) + noun/title

不愧 (bù kuì) literally means "not to bring shame", and it acknowledges that someone or something FULLY deserves the title or reputation attached to it: 他不愧为一代宗师 = "he truly lives up to his fame as a great master". It is followed by 为 (more formal, written) or 是 (somewhat more neutral), and then the title or quality. It is a phrase of praise or validation typical of the press and the essay; it matches "to live up to", "to be worthy of being called" or "not for nothing is he called".

Examples

他tā不bù愧kuì为wéi一yī代dài宗zōng师shī，桃táo李lǐ满mǎn天tiān下xià。
He truly lives up to being a master of his generation, with disciples everywhere.
这zhè座zuò城chéng市shì不bù愧kuì是shì历lì史shǐ文wén化huà名míng城chéng。
This city truly lives up to its name as a city of history and culture.
她tā临lín危wēi不bù乱luàn，不bù愧kuì为wéi一yī名míng优yōu秀xiù的de医yī生shēng。
She kept calm in the face of danger, truly worthy of being called an excellent doctor.
这zhè部bù作zuò品pǐn不bù愧kuì是shì他tā的de巅diān峰fēng之zhī作zuò。
This work is truly worthy of being his crowning achievement.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.