# 欲蓋彌彰
## Chinese

| | | desire; longing; appetitedesire; longing; appetite; wish | cover; lid; topcover; lid; top; canopy; to build | full; to fill | manifest |
| trad. (欲蓋彌彰) | trad. (欲蓋彌彰) | 欲 | 蓋 | 彌 | 彰 |
| simp. (欲盖弥彰) | simp. (欲盖弥彰) | 欲 | 盖 | 弥 | 彰 |

### Etymology

    From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4th century BCE
    Dōng, Zhū Hēigōng yǐ Làn lái bēn, jiàn ér shū míng, zhòngdì gù yě. Jūnzǐ yuē: “Míng zhī bùkě bùshèn yě rúshì fū. Yǒu suǒ yǒumíng, ér bùrú qí yǐ. Yǐ dì pàn, suī jiàn bì shū dì, yǐ míng qí rén, zhōng wèi bùyì, fú kě miè yǐ. Shìgù jūnzǐ dòng zé sī lǐ, xíng zé sī yì, bù wèi lì huí, bù wèi yì jiù. Huò qiú míng ér bùdé, huò yù gài ér míng zhāng, chéng bùyì yě.” [Pinyin]
    In winter, Heihong of Zou state defected to the Lu state together with his Lan county (near present-day Tengzhou). Although he was lowly, his name was recorded (in the historical records) because lands are important (for a country). The Gentleman (i.e. the author) said, “As for fame, one cannot be incautious like this. If one has this kind of fame, this would not be as good as without fame. [For a person] defected with his land, the name of the land must be recorded, so as the name of the defector. He will eventually be regarded as immoral and this will be never be blot out. Therefore, when a gentleman acts, he thinks of etiquettes and righteousness, and he never betrays (his conscience) for benefits or regrets for doing unrighteous things. Some people seek for fame but failed. Some people wanted to conceal but their names were eventually spread. This was to punish those immoral ones.”

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yùgàimízhāng
    (Zhuyin): ㄩˋ ㄍㄞˋ ㄇㄧˊ ㄓㄤ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): juk$^6$ koi$^3$ nei$^4$ zoeng$^1$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): io̍k-kài-mí-chiong
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yùgàimízhāng
*** Zhuyin: ㄩˋ ㄍㄞˋ ㄇㄧˊ ㄓㄤ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yùgàimíjhang
*** Wade–Giles: yü$^4$-kai$^4$-mi$^2$-chang$^1$
*** Yale: yù-gài-mí-jāng
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yuhgaymijang
*** Palladius: юйгаймичжан (jujgajmičžan)
*** Sinological IPA : /y⁵¹⁻⁵³ kaɪ̯⁵¹ mi³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: juk$^6$ koi$^3$ nei$^4$ zoeng$^1$
*** Yale: yuhk koi nèih jēung
*** Cantonese Pinyin: juk$^9$ koi$^3$ nei$^4$ dzoeng$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: yug$^6$ koi$^3$ néi$^4$ zêng$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /jʊk̚² kʰɔːi̯³³ nei̯²¹ t͡sœːŋ⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: io̍k-kài-mí-chiong
*** Tâi-lô: io̍k-kài-mí-tsiong
*** Phofsit Daibuun: iogkaemyciofng
*** IPA (Xiamen): /iɔk̚⁴⁻³² kai²¹⁻⁵³ mĩ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡siɔŋ⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /iɔk̚²⁴⁻² kai⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ mĩ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡siɔŋ³³/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /iɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ kai²¹⁻⁵³ mĩ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡siɔŋ⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /iɔk̚⁴⁻³² kai¹¹⁻⁵³ mĩ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡siɔŋ⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /iɔk̚⁴⁻³² kai²¹⁻⁴¹ mĩ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡siɔŋ⁴⁴/

### Idiom

欲蓋彌彰
* to attempt to cover up the truth but the truth becomes more apparent or further exposed
       Dàjiā yuánběn zhǐshì huáiyí tā éryǐ, dàn tā mángyú biànjiě de yàngzǐ fǎn'ér shì yùgàimízhāng, bùdǎzìzhāo. [Pinyin]
       Everyone was just suspecting him in the beginning, but the way he was explaining himself only made his actions more like incriminating himself.
    From: Wen Yiduo《畫展》
    Yǔqí yùgàimízhāng, dào bùrú zìjǐ xiān rèn le. [Pinyin]
    Rather than to covering up the truth, it's better to admit it by yourself.

#### Synonyms

* 此地無銀三百兩 / 此地无银三百两 (cǐdì wú yín sān bǎi liǎng)

### References

* “欲蓋彌彰”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.