Chinese word

内幕

Pronunciation

Pinyinnèi mù

Meaning

  • nouninside story

Example

我想知道这件事的内幕。wǒ xiǎng zhī dào zhè jiàn shì de nèi mù

I want to know the inside story of this matter.

Illustration for 内幕 (inside story)

More examples

当局的调查揭示了项目的内幕。dāng jú de diào chá jiē shì le xiàng mù dì nèi mù

The authorities' investigation revealed the inside story of the project.

Core concept

A curtain separates the visible scene from the private facts that explain what is really happening.

Common phrases

  • 公司的内幕gōng sī de nèi mù

    the company's inside story

  • 事情的内幕shì qíng de nèi mù

    the inside story of the matter

Similar words

内情nèi qíng: Internal circumstances and events within a group or organization.
真相zhēn xiàng: The real facts behind an event or situation.
实情shí qíng: The situation as it truly is, especially when its facts are not openly known.
秘密mì mì: Private information deliberately kept unknown to other people.

Definition in Chinese

指仅限于内部人士知道的事实或真相，外界难以接触，往往带有隐秘或敏感的意味。zhǐ jǐn xiàn yú nèi bù rén shì zhī dào de shì shí huò zhēn xiàng wài jiè nán yǐ jiē chù wáng wǎng dài yǒu yǐn mì huò mín gǎn de yì wèi

Word origin

内 (nèi, "inside") + 幕 (mù, "curtain") creates the picture of an inner curtain hiding the real situation from outsiders.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this noun is not limited to journalism; it can describe hidden facts about a company, event, or dispute.

Other meanings

  • behind-the-scenes secretnoun

Opposites

  • 公开信息gōng kāi xìn xīpublic informationnoun
  • 表面现象biǎo miàn xiàn xiàngsurface phenomenonnoun

Related words

  • 内幕消息nèi mù xiāo xīinsider informationnoun
  • 内幕人士nèi mù rén shìinsidernoun

Word lists with this word