沉冤昭雪
chén yuān zhāo xuě
a long-standing injustice is finally redressed
Character by character
沉chén
sunken
sunken
冤yuān
wrong
wrong
昭zhāo
clear
clear
雪xuě
wash
wash
Example
被关押了二十多年之后，他终于沉冤昭雪，走出了监狱大门。
After more than twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit, he was finally cleared and walked out of the prison gates.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
沉冤 is a wrong buried for years, and 昭雪 is to clear someone’s name. Almost always with 终于 or 得以, and said of acquittals after a retrial (再审) and of people rehabilitated after death.
Learn this in Lesson 193 · HSK 7–9: 一桩刑事案 (How a criminal case moves)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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