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家丑不可外扬

jiā chǒu bù kě wài yángdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom) / fig. don't wash your dirty linen in public
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-f886835786333677. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

家醜不可外揚 家丑不可外扬 [jia1 chou3 bu4 ke3 wai4 yang2] /lit. family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom)/fig. don't wash your dirty linen in public/

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: 家醜不可外揚

  • 家
    jiā

    used in 傢伙|家伙[jiā huo] and 傢俱|家俱[jiā jù] / home / family / (polite) my (sister, uncle etc) / classifier for families or businesses / refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China / noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian / CL:個|个[gè]

  • 丑
    chǒu

    clown / 2nd earthly branch: 1-3 a.m., 12th solar month (6th January to 3rd February), year of the Ox / ancient Chinese compass point: 30° / shameful / ugly / disgraceful

    Chǒu

    surname Chou

  • 不
    bù

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

  • 可
    kě

    (prefix) can / may / able to / -able / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very / but / however

    kè

    used in 可汗[kè hán]

  • 外
    wài

    outside / in addition / foreign / external

  • 扬
    yáng

    to raise / to hoist / the action of tossing or winnowing / scattering (in the wind) / to flutter / to propagate

    Yáng

    abbr. for Yangzhou 揚州|扬州[Yáng zhōu] in Jiangsu / surname Yang

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.