家丑不可外扬 jiā chǒu bù kě wài yáng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom)
  2. fig. don't wash your dirty linen in public

CHARACTERS

家 jiā
HSK 1
house, home, residence; family
丑 chǒu
HSK 5
clown, comedian; 2nd terrestrial branch
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
可 kě
HSK 2
may, can, -able; possibly
外 wài
HSK 2
out, outside, external; foreign
扬 yáng
HSK 4
scatter, spread; praise