编造

• Pinyin: biān zào
• Hanzi breakdown: 编 = 纟 (silk/thread) + 扁 (flat); 造 = 辶 (walk) + 告 (tell)

Meaning

To fabricate; to make up; to invent (stories, lies, excuses).

Refers to creating false information, excuses, or stories. Carries a negative connotation of deception. Can be used for both deliberate lies and imaginative inventions, though the context usually implies dishonesty.

Examples

1. 他编造了一个借口来解释自己为什么迟到。 He fabricated an excuse to explain why he was late.
2. 这篇报道完全是编造的，没有任何事实依据。 This report is completely made up, with no factual basis whatsoever.
3. 孩子们喜欢编造各种奇怪的故事，这是他们想象力的体现。 Children like to make up all kinds of strange stories — it's an expression of their imagination.

Usage Guide

Context: accusation, critique, description

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 别编造借口了，说实话吧。(Stop making up excuses and tell the truth.)
• 这个故事是他编造的。(He made up this story.)

Don't Say

• 用编造形容合理推测 (Don't use 编造 for reasonable speculation — it implies deliberate falsehood)

Origin & History

编 (weave) + 造 (make). To weave/fabricate something.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal