矢口抵赖 shǐ kǒu dǐ lài Vehemently deny

Explanation

指坚决否认，死不承认。

Refers to a resolute denial, a stubborn refusal to admit.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个书生叫李白，他去参加科举考试。考试结束后，他发现自己考砸了，心里十分沮丧。这时，一位老秀才走过来，安慰他说：“这次考试失利，不要灰心，下次再接再厉。”李白听了，却矢口抵赖，说：“我没有考砸，我考得很好！”老秀才见他如此固执，便摇了摇头，走了。后来，李白知道自己考砸了，后悔不已，但是他一直没有承认自己考砸了。这件事告诉我们，一个人要勇于承认自己的错误，不要矢口抵赖。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu gè shūshēng jiào lǐ bái, tā qù cānjiā kējǔ kǎoshì. kǎoshì jiéshù hòu, tā fāxiàn zìjǐ kǎo zá le, xīn lǐ shífēn jǔsàng. zhè shí, yī wèi lǎo xiùcái zǒu guòlái, ānwèi tā shuō: “zhè cì kǎoshì shīlì, bùyào huīxīn, xià cì zài jiē zài lì.” lǐ bái tīng le, què shǐkǒu dǐlài, shuō: “wǒ méiyǒu kǎo zá, wǒ kǎo de hěn hǎo!” lǎo xiùcái jiàn tā rúcǐ gùzhí, biàn yáo le yáo tóu, zǒu le. hòulái, lǐ bái zhīdào zìjǐ kǎo zá le, hòuhuǐ bù yǐ, dànshì tā yīzhí méiyǒu chéngrèn zìjǐ kǎo zá le. zhè jiàn shì gào sù wǒmen, yīgè rén yào yǒngyú chéngrèn zìjǐ de cuòwù, bùyào shǐkǒu dǐlài.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Li Bai who took the imperial examination. After the exam, he found that he had failed and was very depressed. At this time, an old scholar came and comforted him, saying: “Don't be discouraged by this failure, try again next time.” Li Bai, however, vehemently denied it, saying: “I didn’t fail, I did very well!” The old scholar shook his head and left. Later, Li Bai knew that he had failed and regretted it very much, but he never admitted that he had failed. This story teaches us that one should admit one's mistakes and not deny everything.

Usage

作谓语、定语；常用于口语。

zuò wèiyǔ, dìngyǔ; cháng yòng yú kǒuyǔ

Used as predicate and attributive; often used in colloquial speech.

Examples

• 他矢口抵赖，说自己没有偷东西。

  tā shǐkǒu dǐlài, shuō zìjǐ méiyǒu tōu dōngxi.

  He vehemently denied stealing anything.

• 面对证据，他仍然矢口抵赖，令人气愤。

  miàn duì zhèngjù, tā réngrán shǐkǒu dǐlài, lìng rén qìfèn

  In the face of evidence, he still vehemently denied it, which was infuriating.

Related Idioms

• 矢口否认

• 百般抵赖

Opposite Idioms

• 坦白承认

• 知错就改