三百两 (sān bǎi) — (idiom) a clumsy denial that reveals the truth; protesting too much
Definition
Short for the idiom 此地无银三百两 — a clumsy denial that fools no one and actually reveals the truth. Use it when someone's protest makes the hidden thing more obvious, like 'protesting too much'.
idiom
a clumsy denial that reveals the truthprotesting too much
Examples
- ，三百两。Tā yuè jiě shì yuè kě yí, jiǎn zhí shì cǐ dì wú yín sān bǎi.The more he explained, the more suspicious he seemed — it was a classic case of protesting too much.
- ，三百两。Tā shuō bù xǐ huan nà jiàn lǐ wù, dàn dà jiā dōu kàn chū shì sān bǎi.She said she didn't like that gift, but everyone could see it was a transparent denial.
- ，三百两。Lǎo bǎn shuō gōng sī méi cái yuán jì huà, yuán gōng dōu xiào zhè shì sān bǎi.The boss said the company had no layoff plans, and the employees all laughed at this clumsy cover-up.
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