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Chinese/Dictionary entry

纸包不住火

zhǐ bāo bu zhù huǒdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
the truth will come out eventually / a secret can't be kept forever
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-f0fbb97f74aec3c8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

紙包不住火 纸包不住火 [zhi3 bao1 bu5 zhu4 huo3] /the truth will come out eventually; a secret can't be kept forever/

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: 紙包不住火

  • 纸
    zhǐ

    paper (CL:張|张[zhāng],沓[dá]) / classifier for documents, letters etc

  • 包
    bāo

    to cover / to wrap / to hold / to include / to take charge of / to contract (to or for) / package / wrapper / container / bag / to hold or embrace / bundle / packet / CL:個|个[gè],隻|只[zhī]

    Bāo

    surname Bao

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 住
    zhù

    to live / to reside / to stay / to stop / to cease / (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state)

  • 火
    huǒ

    fire / urgent / ammunition / fiery or flaming / internal heat (Chinese medicine) / hot (popular) / classifier for military units (old) / Kangxi radical 86

    Huǒ

    surname Huo

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.