说不过去

說不過去

shuōbuguòqù

phrase #25,718

Meanings

1 cannot be justified
2 inexcusable
3 hard to explain away
4 unacceptable

Characters

to speak, to say

to pass, to get through

to go (directional complement)

Examples

你迟到这么久，说不过去吧。

Nǐ chídào zhème jiǔ, shuōbuguòqù ba.

You're so late — that's really hard to justify.

他的行为说不过去，大家都很生气。

Tā de xíngwéi shuōbuguòqù, dàjiā dōu hěn shēngqì.

His behavior cannot be justified, and everyone is angry.

这件事不管怎么解释都说不过去。

Zhè jiàn shì bùguǎn zěnme jiěshì dōu shuōbuguòqù.

No matter how you explain it, this matter just cannot be justified.

Tips

usage

说不过去 literally means 'cannot talk past it' — the logic or excuse fails to pass muster. Compare 说得过去 (acceptable, passable) which is its positive counterpart.

Stroke Order

说 shuō

不 bù

过 guò

去 qù