颠倒是非 (diān dǎo) — to deliberately confuse right and wrong; to turn truth on its head
Definition
A set phrase meaning 'to deliberately turn truth upside down' — to call black white for selfish reasons. Note that 颠倒 carries the sense of intentional distortion, not a simple mistake.
verb
to deliberately confuse right and wrongto turn truth on its head
Examples
- ,颠倒是非,。Tā wèi le zì jǐ de lì yì, jìng rán diān dǎo, qī piàn dà jiā.For his own benefit, he actually confounded right and wrong and deceived everyone.
- 颠倒是非,。Xīn wén bào dào bù néng diān dǎo, bì xū kè guān zhēn shí.News reports must not distort the truth; they must be objective and factual.
- 颠倒是非,。Yǒu xiē rén xǐ huan diān dǎo, bǎ hēi de shuō chéng bái de.Some people like to confuse right and wrong, calling black white.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.