昭雪 (zhāo xuě) — to exonerate, to rehabilitate (a wrongfully accused person or one's reputation)

Definition

A formal/literary idiom meaning to clear someone's name and restore their reputation after a wrongful accusation. Used mostly in writing, news, or legal contexts about historical or official cases.

idiom
to exonerateto rehabilitate (a wrongfully accused person or one's reputation)

Examples

  • ，昭雪。
    Jīng guò duō nián de nǔ lì, yuān àn zhōng yú dé dào zhāo xuě.
    After years of effort, the unjust case was finally exonerated.
  • 昭雪。
    Tā wèi nà xiē bèi cuò wù zhǐ kòng de rén zhēng qǔ zhāo xuě.
    He fought for the rehabilitation of those wrongfully accused.
  • 昭雪。
    Lì shǐ huì zhāo xuě tā de qīng bái.
    History will exonerate his innocence.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

昭zhāomake clear
雪xuěwash away

昭 means make clear and 雪 means wash away, so the sense is clearing away an injustice.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
召
召zhào昭zhāo
Same sound today

昭 combines 日, meaning sun, with 召, which provides the sound.

Open 昭 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
彗
彗huì雪xuě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

雪 pairs 雨, showing rain, with 彗, giving the sound.

Open 雪 →

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