跳进黄河洗不清

Traditional form:

跳進黃河洗不清

Pinyin (reading):

tiàojìn Huáng Héxǐbùqīng

Definitions:

• lit. even jumping into the Yellow River can't get you clean
• fig. to become inexorably mixed up
• mired in controversy
• in deep trouble

Characters:

• 跳 - to hop, to skip; to jump, to leap; to vault; to dance
• 进 - to advance, to make progress; to come in, to enter
• 黄 - yellow; surname
• 河 - river, stream; the Yellow river
• 洗 - to bathe, to rinse, to wash
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 清 - clean, pure; clear, distinct; peaceful

Traditional characters:

• 跳 - to hop, to skip; to jump, to leap; to vault; to dance
• 進 - to advance, to make progress; to come in, to enter
• 黃 - yellow; surname
• 河 - river, stream; the Yellow river
• 洗 - to bathe, to rinse, to wash
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 清 - clean, pure; clear, distinct; peaceful