以讹传讹 — “Spread error by error”
以讹传讹 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to spread a falsehood or rumor, often unintentionally adding new inaccuracies, causing it to become increasingly distorted with each retelling; to transmit a mistake by error, leading to further misrepresentations”. Literally, “Spread error by error”.
以讹传讹 Pronunciation and Pinyin
以讹传讹 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 以讹传讹
Origin and Story of 以讹传讹
Once upon a time, in the State of Chu, there was a hunter exceptionally skilled at catching birds.
One day, he caught a beautiful pheasant and prepared to sell it in the city. A wealthy man passing by asked what kind of bird it was. The hunter lied, saying it was a phoenix, and sold it to the rich man for 2000 gold.
The rich man thought a phoenix should be presented to the King of Chu, but the pheasant died on the way.
When the news reached the King of Chu, the King praised his loyalty.
Idioms Related to 以讹传讹
Synonyms of 以讹传讹
Antonyms of 以讹传讹
More idioms starting with 以
- yǐ以yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一fèng奉bǎi百one producer supports a hundred consumers
- yǐ以yī一dāng当shí十fight with the strength of ten men
- yǐ以yī一dāng当bǎi百one person effective as a hundred
- yǐ以yī一chí持wàn万Grasp key to control the whole
- yǐ以yī一zhī知wàn万infer many from one
- yǐ以yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一yù驭wàn万Control many by grasping the fundamental
- yǐ以bù不biàn变yìng应wàn万biàn变respond to change with no change
- yǐ以fǒu不jì济kě可help succeed by negating incorrect ideas
- yǐ以fēng丰bǔ补qiàn歉save in times of plenty for scarcity
- yǐ以wéi为kǒu口shí实provide material for criticism
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Open the tool →Questions about 以讹传讹
What does 以讹传讹 mean?
以讹传讹 (yǐ é chuán é) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to spread a falsehood or rumor, often unintentionally adding new inaccuracies, causing it to become increasingly distorted with each retelling; to transmit a mistake by error, leading to further misrepresentations”.
How do you pronounce 以讹传讹?
以讹传讹 is pronounced yǐ é chuán é in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 以讹传讹 literally mean?
Literally, 以讹传讹 means “Spread error by error”. It is used to mean “to spread a falsehood or rumor, often unintentionally adding new inaccuracies, causing it to become increasingly distorted with each retelling; to transmit a mistake by error, leading to further misrepresentations”.
Where does 以讹传讹 come from?
以讹传讹 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 以讹传讹?
以：拿，把；讹：谬误。指把本来就不正确的话又错误地传出去，越传越错。