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正大光明 (zhèng dà guāng míng) — open and aboveboard; fair and square; just and honorable

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'open and aboveboard' — used in written/official contexts to praise conduct that is fair, honest, and done without secrecy.

idiom
open and aboveboardfair and squarejust and honorable

Examples

  • 正大光明，。
    Tā zuò shì yí xiàng zhèng dà guāng míng, cóng bù gǎo xiǎo dòng zuò.
    He always acts aboveboard and never plays petty tricks.
  • 正大光明，。
    Zhè chǎng bǐ sài bì xū zhèng dà guāng míng, bù néng yǒu rèn hé àn xiāng cāo zuò.
    This competition must be fair and square, with no backroom deals.
  • 正大光明，。
    Wǒ men yào zhèng dà guāng míng dì yíng dé shèng lì, ér bú shì kào bú zhèng dāng shǒu duàn.
    We must win honorably, not by unfair means.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

正大upright and broad
正zhèngupright大dàbroad
联合Coordinate
光明bright and clear
光guānglight明míngclear
联合Coordinate

正大 conveys upright and broad, 光明 conveys bright and clear, together describing open and honest conduct.

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
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng正zhèng
Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

Open 正 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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