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青红皂白

qīng hóng zào báidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
the rights and wrongs of a matter (idiom)
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-4a6acc5e9053136e. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

青紅皂白 青红皂白 [qing1 hong2 zao4 bai2] /the rights and wrongs of a matter (idiom)/

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: 青紅皂白

  • 青
    qīng

    green / blue / black / youth / young (of people)

    Qīng

    short name for Qinghai 青海[Qīng hǎi]

  • 红
    gōng

    used in 女紅|女红[nu : 3 gong1]

    hóng

    red / popular / revolutionary / bonus

    Hóng

    surname Hong

  • 皂
    zào

    soap / black

  • 白
    bái

    white / in vain / free of charge / (bound form) (of facts, the truth, a situation) clear / evident (e.g. 真相大白[zhēn xiàng dà bái]) / (bound form) plain / without additions (e.g. 白飯|白饭[bái fàn]) / (bound form) to explain / to state (e.g. 辯白|辩白[biàn bái]) / (bound form) to give a disdainful look (e.g. 白了他一眼[bái le tā yī yǎn]) / (bound form) vernacular (e.g. 白話|白话[bái huà]) / (bound form) spoken lines in opera (e.g. 念白[niàn bái]) / (bound form) reactionary / anti-communist (e.g. 白區|白区[bái qū])

    Bái

    surname Bai / Bai ethnic group

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.