讳莫如深

諱莫如深
huìmòrúshēn
idiom #56,291

Meanings

  1. 1 to steadfastly avoid the subject
  2. 2 to keep tight-lipped about something
  3. 3 to refuse to discuss a matter

Examples

Duìyú gōngsī de cáiwù wèntí, tā huìmòrúshēn.
He stayed tight-lipped about the company's financial problems.
Guānyú nà duàn lìshǐ, lǎorénmen huìmòrúshēn.
The old folks avoid any mention of that period in history.

Tips

history
From 《·三十二》 (Gongyang Commentary, one of the three classical commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals): 「讳莫如深」 — 'when a matter is grave, one avoids it; when grave enough, one hides it entirely.' Originally about the historian's choice to suppress politically dangerous facts.
usage
The silence here implies the matter is sensitive, scandalous, or painful — not just that someone hasn't brought it up. Often paired with ...讳莫如深 ('tight-lipped about X').

Stroke Order

huì
shēn