Information online is bizarre and motley — hard to tell true from false.
Tips
history
The phrase combines imagery from Qu Yuan's 《离骚》 ('colors scattered above and below') and the 《三国志》 description of strange five-colored light over a tomb. Used since at least the Three Kingdoms period.
usage
Describes visual or conceptual strangeness — lights, scenery, phenomena, or modern-day information environments. Neutral to slightly negative.
