露出马脚

露出馬腳

lùchū-mǎjiǎo

idiom

Meanings

1 to give the game away
2 to let the cat out of the bag
3 to reveal one's true nature

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

他撒谎时不小心露出马脚了。

Tā sāhuǎng shí bù xiǎoxīn lùchū-mǎjiǎo le.

While lying, he accidentally gave himself away.

HSK 7-9

骗子最终露出马脚，被警方抓获。

Piànzi zuìzhōng lùchū-mǎjiǎo, bèi jǐngfāng zhuāhuò.

The fraudster eventually slipped up and was caught by the police.

Tips

culture

Legend traces the phrase to Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang's wife Empress Ma, who - unusually for her era - had unbound ('horse') feet. When the wind blew her skirt aside, her large feet showed: 露马脚. The slip revealed what was hidden.

Stroke Order

露 lù

出 chū

马 mǎ

脚 jiǎo