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马脚

馬腳
mǎjiǎo
noun #21,276

Meanings

  1. 1 a telltale flaw
  2. 2 a revealing slip
  3. 3 the horse's foot (as in: reveal one's true self)

Examples

HSK 6
他一开口就露出了马脚。
Tā yī kāikǒu jiù lùchū le mǎjiǎo.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he gave himself away.
HSK 7-9
骗子精心伪装，却还是露出了马脚。
Piànzi jīngxīn wèizhuāng, què háishì lùchū le mǎjiǎo.
The scammer disguised himself carefully but still revealed his true colors.
HSK 7-9
她谎话说多了，终究要露马脚。
Tā huǎnghuà shuō duō le, zhōngjiū yào lòu mǎjiǎo.
If she keeps telling lies, she will eventually slip up.

Tips

history
The expression 露马脚 (to reveal the horse's foot) comes from a story about a woman disguised as a man at a festival - her bound feet slipped out from under her robe, exposing the deception. 马脚 now means any revealing flaw or slip-up.
memory
Think of a pantomime horse costume: when the actor's real leg sticks out, the illusion is ruined. 露马脚 = letting the horse's foot show = giving yourself away.

Stroke Order

马 mǎ
脚 jiǎo