去伪存真 qù wěi cún zhēn Separate the true from the false

Explanation

去掉虚假的，留下真实的。比喻辨别真伪，吸取精华。

Remove the false and keep the true. A metaphor for distinguishing true from false and absorbing the essence.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的著名诗人，他不仅才华横溢，而且为人正直。一次，他受邀参加一场盛大的宫廷宴会。宴会上，歌舞升平，但李白却发现许多文人墨客都在互相吹捧，阿谀奉承，言辞浮夸，毫无真意。李白对此深感不满，他认为这样的虚假之风会误国误民，于是，他便当众朗诵了一首诗，诗中充满了对真善美的赞美，以及对虚伪的批判。他的诗句掷地有声，字字珠玑，引得众人纷纷侧目。宴会之后，很多人都开始反思自己的行为，纷纷表示要以李白为榜样，去伪存真，做个正直的人。从此以后，宫廷里的虚伪之风渐渐消退，取而代之的是一股清新的文风。

huàshuō táng cháo shíqī, yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de zhùmíng shīrén, tā bù jǐn cáihuá héngyì, érqiě wéirén zhèngzhí. yīcì, tā shòuyāo cānjiā yī chǎng shèngdà de gōngtíng yànhuì. yànhuì shàng, gēwǔ shēngpíng, dàn lǐ bái què fāxiàn xǔduō wénrén mòkè dōu zài hùxiāng chuīpěng, āyú fèngchéng, yáncí fúkuā, háo wú zhēnyì. lǐ bái duì cǐ shēngǎn bù mǎn, tā rènwéi zhèyàng de xūjiǎ zhī fēng huì wù guó wù mín, yúshì, tā biàn dàng zhòng lǎngsòng le yī shǒu shī, shī zhōng chōngmǎn le duì zhēn shàn měi de zànměi, yǐjí duì xūwěi de pīpàn. tā de shī jù zhìdì yǒushēng, zì zì zhūjī, yǐn de zhòngrén fēnfēn cè mù. yànhuì zhīhòu, hěn duō rén dōu kāishǐ fǎnsī zìjǐ de xíngwéi, fēnfēn biǎoshì yào yǐ lǐ bái wèi bàngyàng, qù wěi cún zhēn, zuò gè zhèngzhí de rén. cóng cǐ yǐhòu, gōngtíng lǐ de xūwěi zhī fēng jiànjiàn xiāotui, qǔ ér dàizhī de shì yī gǔ qīngxīn de wénfēng.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous poet named Li Bai, who was not only exceptionally talented but also upright. Once, he was invited to a grand court banquet. At the banquet, there was singing and dancing, but Li Bai noticed that many literati were flattering each other, using exaggerated and insincere words. Li Bai was deeply dissatisfied with this. He believed that this false atmosphere would harm the country and its people. Therefore, he publicly recited a poem full of praise for truth, goodness, and beauty, and criticism of hypocrisy. His poem was powerful and impressive, drawing the attention of everyone present. After the banquet, many began to reflect on their own behavior, and vowed to take Li Bai as a role model, to separate the true from the false, and to be honest people. From that time on, the hypocritical atmosphere in the court gradually subsided, replaced by a fresh literary atmosphere.

Usage

用于比喻鉴别真伪，吸取精华。多用于书面语。

yòng yú bǐyù jiànbié zhēnwěi, xīqǔ jīnghuá. duō yòng yú shūmiàn yǔ.

Used to illustrate distinguishing true from false and absorbing the essence. Mostly used in written language.

Examples

• 我们要学会去伪存真，辨别真假。

  wǒmen yào xuéhuì qù wěi cún zhēn, biànbié zhēn jiǎ

  We must learn to separate the true from the false.

• 历史学家致力于去伪存真，还原历史真相。

  lìshǐxuéjiā zhìlì yú qù wěi cún zhēn, huányuán lìshǐ zhēnxiàng

  Historians are committed to separating the true from the false and restoring the truth of history.

• 科学研究需要去伪存真，才能得出正确的结论。

  kēxué yánjiū xūyào qù wěi cún zhēn, cáinéng déchū zhèngquè de jiélùn

  Scientific research needs to separate the true from the false to draw correct conclusions.

Related Idioms

• 去粗取精

• 真假

Opposite Idioms

• 鱼龙混杂

• 真假难辨