开诚布公

開誠佈公

kāichéngbùgōng

idiom #9,625

Meanings

1 to be frank and open; to speak candidly
2 to deal with someone honestly and fairly

Characters

sincerity; honesty

to spread; to announce

Open up one's sincerity and spread fairness — to speak frankly and deal fairly.

Examples

我们需要开诚布公地谈一谈。

Wǒmen xūyào kāichéngbùgōng de tán yī tán.

We need to have a frank and open conversation.

他开诚布公地说出了自己的想法。

Tā kāichéngbùgōng de shuō chū le zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ.

He candidly expressed his thoughts.

开诚布公才能解决问题。

Kāichéngbùgōng cái néng jiějué wèntí.

Only by being open and honest can we solve the problem.

Tips

history

This idiom comes from the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志), describing Zhuge Liang's open and fair governance of Shu. It originally described a leadership style of transparency.

usage

Often used as an adverb with 地: 开诚布公地说/谈 (to speak/discuss frankly). It's more formal than 坦白 (tǎnbái, candid) or 直说 (zhíshuō, speak directly).

Stroke Order

开 kāi

诚 chéng

布 bù

公 gōng