📖 Meaning
To speak recklessly and make irresponsible comments about people or things, talking about right and wrong without discretion. The idiom uses colors metaphorically to represent making arbitrary judgments and spreading gossip.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty play "Children Reunited" (《儿女团圆》) by Yang Wenkui. In the first act, a character says upon entering and causing a commotion, what is all this talk of yellow and black. It was later popularized in Ming dynasty literature, notably appearing in "Water Margin" (《水浒全传》) by Shi Nai'an, where it describes someone who talks recklessly behind a magistrate's back to stir up trouble and harm others.
💡 Example Usage
他在背后说黄道黑，搬弄是非，搞得同事们关系紧张。
He talked recklessly behind people's backs, spreading gossip and sowing discord, making relationships among colleagues tense.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 说黄道黑
- Pinyin: shuō huáng dào hēi
- Literal Translation: say yellow, say black
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4