欲盖而彰 — “The more one tries to conceal something, the more obvious it becomes”
欲盖而彰 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the more one tries to conceal something, the more obvious it becomes”. Attempts to cover up only expose the truth or a mistake more clearly. Literally, “Wish to cover up but it becomes obvious”.
Frequency
欲盖而彰 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 欲yù
- 盖gài
- 而ér
- 彰zhāng
欲盖而彰 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 欲盖而彰
他越是试图掩盖自己未完成任务的事实，就越是欲盖而彰，让同事们看出了端倪。
The more he tried to conceal the fact that he hadn't finished the task, the more obvious it became, allowing his colleagues to notice the clues.
Idioms Related to 欲盖而彰
Synonyms of 欲盖而彰
More idioms starting with 欲
- yù欲bù不kě可zòng纵Do not indulge desires excessively
- yù欲rén人wù勿zhī知，，mò莫ruò若wù勿wèi为If you don't want it known, don't do it
- yù欲rén人wù勿wén闻，，mò莫ruò若wù勿yán言If you don't want it heard, don't say it
- yù欲jiā加zhī之zuì罪trumped-up charge
- yù欲jiā加zhī之zuì罪，，hé何huàn患wú无cí辞If you want to condemn, you'll find a pretext
- yù欲qǔ取gū姑yǔ与Give a little to take a lot
- yù欲qǔ取gū姑yǔ予Give a little to gain a lot
- yù欲hè壑nán难tián填desire is a bottomless pit
- yù欲dé得ér而gān甘xīn心satisfied only when one gets revenge
- yù欲yáng扬xiān先yì抑suppress first to elevate later
- yù欲qín擒xiān先zòng纵release to catch
- yù欲qín擒gù故zòng纵to loosen to catch
Questions about 欲盖而彰
- What does 欲盖而彰 mean?
- 欲盖而彰 (yù gài ér zhāng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the more one tries to conceal something, the more obvious it becomes”.
- How do you pronounce 欲盖而彰?
- 欲盖而彰 is pronounced yù gài ér zhāng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 欲盖而彰 literally mean?
- Literally, 欲盖而彰 means “Wish to cover up but it becomes obvious”. It is used to mean “the more one tries to conceal something, the more obvious it becomes”.
- What is the Chinese definition of 欲盖而彰?
- 犹欲盖弥彰。