明辨是非

míngbiàn-shìfēi
idiom #37,239

Meanings

  1. 1 to clearly distinguish right from wrong
  2. 2 to tell truth from falsehood

Examples

HSK 3
Fùmǔ yào jiāohuì háizi míngbiànshìfēi.
Parents should teach their children to tell right from wrong.
HSK 4
Tā tóunǎo qīngxǐng, néng míngbiànshìfēi.
He has a clear head and can tell right from wrong.
HSK 4
Wǎngluò shídài, míngbiànshìfēi gèngjiā zhòngyào.
In the internet age, distinguishing truth from falsehood matters more than ever.

Tips

history
Rooted in 《礼记·中庸》's canonical five-step learning: 博学审问慎思明辨笃行 - study broadly, question carefully, think deeply, discriminate clearly, act firmly. 明辨 is the ancestor of this idiom.
memory
= right/correct, = wrong. 明辨是非 = 'clearly distinguish the from the '. A four-character moral compass.

Stroke Order

míng
biàn
shì
fēi