Definition
遮羞布 literally means 'loincloth' — a cloth used to cover private parts. In modern Chinese, it is almost always used metaphorically to mean 'fig leaf': something that hides an embarrassing or scandalous truth, often with a negative or ironic tone. It appears in political, corporate, or personal contexts where a thin cover-up is exposed. The literal sense ('loincloth') is rare in everyday speech.
n.
fig leaf (metaphorically, something used to conceal a shameful truth)(rare, literal) loincloth
Examples
- 遮羞布，。Zhè fèn bàogào búguò shì gōngsī de zhē xiū bù, yǎngài le cáiwù wèntí.This report is nothing but the company's fig leaf, covering up financial problems.
- 遮羞布，。Tā de dàoqiàn zhǐshì yí kuài zhē xiū bù, gēnběn méiyǒu chéngyì.His apology was just a fig leaf — there was no sincerity at all.
- 遮羞布，。Gǔdài rén yòng zhē xiū bù zhē tǐ, xiàndài rén què yòng tā lái bǐyù yǎngài chǒushì.Ancient people used a loincloth to cover their bodies, but modern people use it as a metaphor for covering up scandals.
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