盖棺事定 Gai Guan Shi Ding only after death can one's merits and demerits be judged

Explanation

指人死后，对其一生功过是非做出评价。也比喻事情经过一段时间后，真相大白，结论确定。

Refers to the evaluation of a person's life's achievements and mistakes after his death. It also means that after a period of time, the truth will come to light and the conclusion will be certain.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个名叫李白的诗人，他一生才华横溢，诗作流传至今，受到世人的敬仰。然而，他也有放荡不羁的一面，常常惹是生非，留下不少争议。有人说他狂傲不逊，有人说他侠肝义胆。李白在世时，人们对他的评价褒贬不一，有人赞扬他的才华，也有人批评他的行为。直到李白去世后，人们才开始对他的生平进行更客观的评价，最终，人们肯定了他的文学成就，同时也不回避他的缺点。李白的故事，正是“盖棺事定”的最好诠释。他的才华与缺点，在他去世后才得到了一个相对客观全面的评价。这就好比一幅画作，只有当画笔落下，颜料干涸，我们才能看到它完整的样貌。

huashuo tangchao shiqi, you ge ming jiao li bai de shiren, ta yisheng caihua hengyi, shizuo liuchuan zhijin, shoudao shiren de jingyang. raner, ta ye you fangdang bugui de yimian, changchang reshishifei, liu xia bu shao zhengyi. youren shuo ta kuang'ao buxun, youren shuo ta xiagan yidan. li bai zai shi shi, renmen dui ta de pingjia baobian buyi, youren zanyangs ta de caihua, ye youren pipinng ta de xingwei. zhi dao li bai qushi hou, renmen cai kaishi dui ta de shengping jinxing geng kekuan de pingjia, zuizhong, renmen kending le ta de wenxue chengjiu, tongshi ye bu huibi ta de quedian. li bai de gushi, zhengshi 'gaiguan shiding' de zui hao qianshi. ta de caihua yu quedian, zai ta qushi hou cai dedao le yige xiangdui keguan quanmian de pingjia. zhe jiu hao bi yifu huazuo, zhiyou dang huabi luoxia, yanliao ganhe, women cai neng kan dao ta wanzheng de yangmao.

In the Tang Dynasty, there lived a poet named Li Bai, whose works are still admired today. However, he was also unpredictable and often got into trouble, leading to various opinions about him. Some saw him as arrogant and overbearing, others admired his courage and righteousness. During his lifetime, Li Bai was judged differently; some praised his talent, others criticized his behavior. Only after his death was his life viewed more objectively. Ultimately, his literary achievements were acknowledged, but his weaknesses were not concealed. Li Bai's story perfectly illustrates the idiom “盖棺事定”. His abilities and his flaws were only comprehensively and relatively objectively assessed after his death. It's like a painting: only when the brush rests and the paint has dried can we see the complete picture.

Usage

用于评论一个人一生的功过是非，多用于总结性的评价。

yongyu pinglun yige ren yisheng de gongguo shifei, duo yongyu zongjiesheng de pingjia

Used to comment on the merits and demerits of a person's life, often used in summary evaluations.

Examples

• 他的功过是非，只有等到盖棺事定之后才能评价。

  tade gongguo shifei, zhiyou dengdao gaiguan shiding zhihoucaineng pingjia.

  His merits and demerits can only be evaluated after his death.

• 对于他的评价，要待盖棺事定之后，才能做出最终的结论。

  duiyu tade pingjia, yaodai gaiguan shiding zhihou, ca neng zuochu zuizhong de jielun

  The evaluation of his achievements must wait until after his death before a final judgment can be made.

Related Idioms

• 盖棺论定

• 评头论足

Opposite Idioms

• 妄加评论

• 草率判断