自圆其说 justify oneself
Explanation
指说话的人能使自己的论点或谎话没有漏洞。
Refers to a person's ability to make their arguments or lies appear flawless.
Origin Story
话说清朝某年，江南一带发生了一起海盗劫掠事件。当地官员史大人奉命调查此案，但由于证据不足，难以定案。然而，为了向朝廷交代，史大人绞尽脑汁，最终将事情说得滴水不漏，巧妙地将责任推卸给了其他官员。他编造了一系列看似合理的故事，将各个细节都处理得天衣无缝，令朝廷一时难以辨别真伪，最后不了了之。史大人的这一番操作，虽然让朝廷暂时信服，却也让他背负了隐瞒事实的骂名，最终落得个“自圆其说”的下场。
In a certain year during the Qing Dynasty, a pirate robbery incident occurred in the Jiangnan area. Local official Mr. Shi was ordered to investigate the case, but due to insufficient evidence, it was difficult to reach a verdict. However, in order to report to the court, Mr. Shi racked his brains, and finally presented the matter flawlessly, cleverly shifting responsibility to other officials. He fabricated a series of seemingly plausible stories, handling every detail perfectly, making it difficult for the court to distinguish truth from falsehood for a while, which ultimately resulted in a stalemate. Mr. Shi's actions, although temporarily convincing the court, also burdened him with the reputation of concealing facts, and finally resulted in the outcome of "justifying himself".
Usage
通常用于形容一个人说话能够自圆其说，不露破绽，也用于讽刺那些不顾事实真相，巧言令色，掩盖真相的人。
Usually used to describe a person's ability to justify themselves flawlessly and without revealing any flaws. It is also used to satirize those who ignore the truth, use skillful words and actions to conceal the truth.
Examples
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他的解释虽然很长，但仍然漏洞百出，根本无法自圆其说。
tade jieshi suiran hen chang, dan rengran loudubai chu, genben wufa ziyuanqishuo.
His explanation, though lengthy, was still full of loopholes and could not be justified at all.
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这个谎言编得太粗糙了，根本自圆其说。
zhege huangyan bian de tai cucao le, genben ziyuanqishuo.
The lie was too crude to justify itself.