The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

欲盖弥彰

yù gài mí zhāngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
trying to hide it makes it more conspicuous (idiom) / A cover up only makes matters worse.
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-326ac7a7869488d9. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

欲蓋彌彰 欲盖弥彰 [yu4 gai4 mi2 zhang1] /trying to hide it makes it more conspicuous (idiom); A cover up only makes matters worse./

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 欲蓋彌彰

  • 欲
    yù

    desire / appetite / passion / lust / greed / to wish for / to desire

  • 盖
    gài

    lid / top / cover / canopy / to cover / to conceal / to build

    Gě

    surname Ge

  • 弥
    mí

    full / to fill / completely / more / brimming or overflowing

  • 彰
    zhāng

    clear / conspicuous / manifest

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.