家醜不可外傳,流言切莫輕信 jiā chǒu bù kě wài chuán , liú yán qiè mò qīng xìn

DEFINITIONS

  1. Don't spread abroad the shame of the family, don't believe rumors lightly. (idiom)
  2. Don't wash your dirty linen in public, don't listen to others' gossip.

CHARACTERS

家 jiā house, home, residence; family
醜 chǒu ugly looking, homely; disgraceful
不 bù no, not; un-; negative prefix
可 kě may, can, -able; possibly
外 wài out, outside, external; foreign
傳 chuán summon; propagate, transmit
流 liú flow, circulate, drift; class
言 yán words, speech; speak, say
切 qiè cut, mince, slice, carve
莫 mò do not, is not, can not; negative
輕 qīng light; easy, simple; gentle
信 xìn trust, believe; letter