Definition
颠倒是非 is a four-character idiom meaning 'to deliberately confuse right and wrong' — it describes someone who twists facts or misrepresents the truth, often for selfish or malicious reasons. The word 颠倒 means 'to turn upside down' and 是非 means 'right and wrong', so the literal image is 'turning right and wrong upside down'. You can use it as a verb phrase (object after it) or as a modifier (颠倒是非的话). It's a fixed expression; the syllables are not separated in use.
v.o.
to deliberately confuse right and wrongto turn truth on its head
Examples
- ,颠倒是非,。Tā wèile zìjǐ de lìyì, jìngrán diān dǎo, qīpiàn dàjiā.For his own benefit, he actually confounded right and wrong and deceived everyone.
- 颠倒是非,。Xīnwén bàodào bùnéng diān dǎo, bìxū kèguān zhēnshí.News reports must not distort the truth; they must be objective and factual.
- 颠倒是非,。Yǒuxiē rén xǐhuan diān dǎo, bǎ hēi de shuō chéng bái de.Some people like to confuse right and wrong, calling black white.
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