揭发

• Pinyin: jiē fā
• Hanzi breakdown: 揭 = 扌(hand) + 曷 — to lift, expose; 发 = to emit, send out

Meaning

To expose; to report (wrongdoing). Publicly revealing someone's illegal or immoral acts.

Often used in legal or political contexts for reporting crimes, corruption, or misconduct. Carries a sense of justice and moral duty. Can be done anonymously through official channels or publicly.

Examples

1. 他勇敢地揭发了公司内部的财务造假行为。 He bravely exposed the financial fraud within the company.
2. 群众可以通过热线电话匿名揭发腐败问题。 The public can anonymously report corruption issues through the hotline.
3. 这位记者因揭发政治丑闻而获得了新闻大奖。 This journalist won a journalism award for exposing a political scandal.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, political, journalism

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 我们鼓励员工揭发任何不当行为。(We encourage employees to report any misconduct.)
• 有人向媒体揭发了这件事。(Someone exposed this matter to the media.)

Don't Say

• 用'揭发'形容告知普通信息 (Don't use 揭发 for sharing ordinary information — it implies exposing wrongdoing, not casual sharing)

Origin & History

Composed of 揭 (to uncover; to expose) + 发 (to send out; to reveal). Together they describe the act of bringing hidden wrongdoing to light.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal