大是大非

dàshìdàfēi
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 matters of fundamental right and wrong
  2. 2 issues of principle
  3. 3 major questions of truth vs. falsehood

Examples

Zài dàshìdàfēi miànqián, bùnéng hánhu.
On matters of fundamental right and wrong one cannot be vague.
Tā shì gè zài dàshìdàfēi wèntí shàng lìchǎng jiāndìng de rén.
He's someone who stands firm on questions of principle.

Tips

usage
Structure: XY (big X big Y) pairs ('right') with ('wrong'). Reserved for serious moral/political issues — don't use for everyday disagreements. Often preceded by ...面前 ('when facing') or ...问题 ('on questions of').

Stroke Order

shì
fēi