颠倒黑白

顛倒黑白

diāndǎohēibái

idiom #40,477

Meanings

1 to invert black and white
2 to distort the truth deliberately
3 to confound right and wrong

Characters

to overturn; to topple

to reverse; to invert

Examples

他颠倒黑白，把受害者说成是罪犯。

Tā diāndǎohēibái, bǎ shòuhàizhě shuō chéng shì zuìfàn.

He inverted black and white, painting the victim as the criminal.

媒体不能颠倒黑白，必须客观报道。

Méitǐ bùnéng diāndǎohēibái, bìxū kèguān bàodào.

The media cannot twist right into wrong; reporting must be objective.

Tips

history

Traces to Qu Yuan's 《九章·怀沙》 (Warring States, 3rd c. BCE): "变白以为黑兮，倒上以为下" — "turn white to black, flip up to down." Qu Yuan's lament over a court that called loyalty treason.

usage

Strongly negative. Used for deliberate lies, propaganda, slander, or biased reporting — not for honest mistakes. Near-synonym: 混淆是非.

Stroke Order

颠 diān

倒 dào

黑 hēi

白 bái