門もん戸こを張はる

expression, godan verb (-ru)

keep a fine house; put up a front; make the front of the house nice (and be pretentious about it)

Idiomatic expression meaning to maintain an impressive outward appearance, especially of one's home, often with a nuance of pretentiousness or showing off.

• 彼かれは門もん戸こを張はって、立りっ派ぱな家いえに住すんでいるが、実じつは借しゃっ金きんが多おおいらしい。

  He keeps a fine house and lives in a splendid home, but apparently he has a lot of debt.

• 門もん戸こを張はるよりも、中なか身みを充じゅう実じつさせたい。

  Rather than putting up a front, I want to enrich the substance.