明辨是非

míngbiànshìfēi

idiom #37,239

Meanings

1 to clearly distinguish right from wrong
2 to tell truth from falsehood

Characters

clearly; brightly

Examples

父母要教会孩子明辨是非。

Fùmǔ yào jiāohuì háizi míng biàn shì fēi.

Parents should teach their children to tell right from wrong.

他头脑清醒，能明辨是非。

Tā tóunǎo qīngxǐng, néng míng biàn shì fēi.

He has a clear head and can tell right from wrong.

网络时代，明辨是非更加重要。

Wǎngluò shídài, míng biàn shì fēi gèngjiā zhòngyào.

In the internet age, distinguishing truth from falsehood matters more than ever.

Tips

history

Rooted in 《礼记·中庸》's canonical five-step learning: 博学之、审问之、慎思之、明辨之、笃行之 — study broadly, question carefully, think deeply, discriminate clearly, act firmly. 明辨之 is the ancestor of this idiom.

memory

是 = right/correct, 非 = wrong. 明辨是非 = 'clearly distinguish the 是 from the 非'. A four-character moral compass.

Stroke Order

明 míng

辨 biàn

是 shì

非 fēi