东窗事犯 — “A secret plot or conspiracy has been exposed”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 东窗事犯?

比喻阴谋已败露。同“东窗事发”。

东窗事犯 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a secret plot or conspiracy has been exposed”. A hidden wrongdoing has been brought to light.

Frequency

东窗事犯 Pronunciation and Pinyin

东窗事犯 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
东	dōng	5	east, host
窗	chuāng	12	window
事	shì	8	matter, event, or undertaking
犯	fàn	5	commit a crime or mistake

Example Sentence with 东窗事犯

他长期以来偷偷摸摸的行为，最终还是东窗事犯，被大家发现了真相。

His secretive actions over a long period eventually came to light, and everyone discovered the truth.

Origin and Story of 东窗事犯

During the late Northern Song Dynasty, when the Jurchen soldiers invaded the south, loyal officials like Yue Fei resisted, while treacherous minister Qin Hui advocated for surrender. Qin Hui and his wife secretly plotted under the east window to eliminate Yue Fei.

Subsequently, Yue Fei was unjustly executed on trumped-up charges. Not long after, Qin Hui and his son passed away. His wife, Lady Wang, invited a monk to perform Buddhist rites for their souls.

During the ritual, the monk relayed a message to her, saying, "The Grand Tutor asked me to tell you that the East Window incident has been revealed!"

This idiom originates from this story, signifying that a secret plot or wrongdoing has been exposed.