水落石出

shuǐluò-shíchū

idiom HSK 7-9 #13,590

Meanings

1 the truth comes to light
2 lit. as the water recedes, the rocks appear

Characters

to fall; to recede

to come out; to appear

Examples

HSK 3

警方一定会查到水落石出的。

Jǐngfāng yídìng huì chá dào shuǐluò-shíchū de.

The police will definitely get to the bottom of this.

Tips

history

From a poem by 苏轼 (Su Shi) of the Song dynasty. When the water level drops in a river, previously hidden rocks become visible - a metaphor for hidden truths being revealed.

Stroke Order

水 shuǐ

落 luò

石 shí

出 chū