自圆其说 (zì yuán qí shuō) — to make one's argument or explanation sound consistent and plausible; to justify oneself (often in a way that fills any gaps)
Definition
An idiom meaning to make one's own argument sound consistent and self-supporting, often by patching gaps. It is often negative in tone, implying the reasoning is forced rather than genuinely sound.
idiom
to make one's argument or explanation sound consistent and plausibleto justify oneself (often in a way that fills any gaps)
Examples
- 自圆其说，。Tā de jiě shì wú fǎ zì yuán qí shuō, lòu dòng bǎi chū.His explanation cannot be plausibly defended; it's full of holes.
- ，自圆其说。Yào xiǎng ràng rén xìn fú, nǐ bì xū xué huì zì yuán qí shuō.If you want to be convincing, you must learn to make your argument consistent.
- 自圆其说，。Tā qiǎo miào dì zì yuán qí shuō, chéng gōng shuō fú le zài chǎng de suǒ yǒu rén.She skillfully justified herself and managed to convince everyone present.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object
An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.
“自圆” (make round) and “其说” (the argument) combine to mean making one's own argument consistent.
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