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

keep family problems private; don't trust gossip

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

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

Characters

Character Meaning
家 jiā HSK 1
home; family; classifier for families or businesses
醜 chǒu
ugly; clown; shameful
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
可 kě HSK 2
can; may; able to
外 wài HSK 2
outside; external; foreign
傳 chuán
to pass on; to spread; to transmit
流 liú HSK 4
to flow; to circulate or spread; to move or drift
言 yán HSK 4
to say; to talk; speech
切 qiè HSK 4
close to; definitely; absolutely (not)
莫 mò HSK 6
do not; surname Mo; there is none who
輕 qīng
light; easy; gentle
信 xìn HSK 3
to trust; to believe; trust