不白之冤 (bù bái zhī yuān) — an unredressed injustice; a false accusation that has never been cleared

Definition

A chengyu meaning a grievance or false accusation that has never been cleared — stronger than just 'injustice' because it emphasizes the lasting, unavenged nature of the wrong.

noun
an unredressed injusticea false accusation that has never been cleared

Examples

  • 不白之冤，。
    Tā méng shòu le bù bái zhī yuān, yí bèi zi dōu wú fǎ xǐ qīng.
    He suffered an unredressed injustice and could not clear his name for his entire life.
  • 不白之冤，。
    Zhè ge lì shǐ rén wù bēi fù zhe bù bái zhī yuān, zhí dào jīn tiān cái dé dào píng fǎn.
    This historical figure bore an unredressed injustice and was only rehabilitated today.
  • ，，不白之冤。
    Zài fǎ tíng shàng, tā jí lì wèi zì jǐ biàn hù, xī wàng néng xǐ shuā bù bái zhī yuān.
    In court, he vigorously defended himself, hoping to clear his unredressed injustice.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape of 冤 is built from two parts: 冖, a cover, and 兔, a rabbit.

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