← IDIOMS · CAUTION
HSK 7-9
diānoverturndǎoinverthēiblackbáiwhite
To distort the facts; to turn black into white; to invert right and wrong.

Literal meaning

overturn (颠) — invert (倒) — black (黑) — white (白)

Origin

A classical four-character phrase.

Examples

shìdiāndǎohēibáiyǎngàidecuò
He tried to distort the facts to cover up his mistakes.
mennéngróngrěnzhèzhǒngdiāndǎohēibáidexíngwéi
We cannot tolerate this kind of distortion of facts.

Usage & nuances

Strongly negative; implies deliberate misrepresentation and deception.

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