Definition
This four-character idiom (chengyu) literally means 'not bright, not white', but you use it to describe something that happens without a clear reason or is dubious and unjustified. It often implies that the situation or action is mysterious, unexplainable, or morally questionable. The structure uses 不...不... to negate both adjectives, a common pattern in Chinese.
f.e.
without clear reasonfor no apparent reasondubious
Examples
- 不明不白，。Tā bú de shīzōng le, shuí dōu bù zhīdào yuányīn.He disappeared for no clear reason, and nobody knows why.
- 不明不白，。Zhè bǐ qián bú de jiù bú jiàn le, zhēn qíguài.This sum of money vanished without any clear reason—really strange.
- 不明不白，。Tā shòudào bú de zhǐzé, xīnli hěn nánguò.She received an unjustified accusation and felt very sad.
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