颠倒黑白

顛倒黑白

diāndǎo-hēibái

idiom #40,477

Meanings

1 to invert black and white
2 to distort the truth deliberately
3 to confound right and wrong

Characters

to overturn; to topple

to reverse; to invert

Examples

HSK 3

媒体不能颠倒黑白，必须客观报道。

Méitǐ bùnéng diāndǎohēibái, bìxū kèguān bàodào.

The media cannot twist right into wrong; reporting must be objective.

HSK 7-9

他颠倒黑白，把受害者说成是罪犯。

Tā diāndǎohēibái, bǎ shòuhàizhě shuō chéng shì zuìfàn.

He inverted black and white, painting the victim as the criminal.

Tips

history

Traces to Qu Yuan's 《九章·怀沙》 (Warring States, 3rd c. BCE): 变白以为黑兮，倒上以为下 - 'turn white to black, flip up to down.' Qu Yuan's lament over a court that called loyalty treason.

usage

Strongly negative. Used for deliberate lies, propaganda, slander, or biased reporting, not for honest mistakes. Near-synonym: 混淆是非.

Stroke Order

颠 diān

倒 dǎo

黑 hēi

白 bái