抹黑

mǒhēi

verb #17,807

Meanings

1 to discredit
2 to defame
3 to smear someone's name
4 to blacken

Characters

to smear; to wipe

Literally 'smear black' — to blacken someone's reputation.

Examples

他们试图抹黑竞争对手。

Tāmen shìtú mǒhēi jìngzhēng duìshǒu.

They tried to smear their competitor.

不要故意抹黑别人。

Bùyào gùyì mǒhēi biérén.

Don't deliberately defame others.

Tips

memory

Picture smearing black paint (抹黑) on someone's face — that's what defaming someone does to their reputation.

Stroke Order

抹 mǒ

黑 hēi