Chinese idiom · 成语
堂而皇之
Meaning
Openly and with an air of legitimacy or grandeur; often ironically, brazenly as though wrongdoing were proper.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary usageThe expression combines an imposing, dignified appearance with the manner of acting openly. The consulted dictionary records both a confident, apparently proper presentation and an unhidden public action. A later attestation quoted by Han Dian comes from Zou Taofen's reminiscences of school, where people continue sitting openly rather than observing the expected posture.
That example documents usage, not a first invention. The phrase may describe genuine openness, but it is often ironic: someone behaves as though an improper act were completely legitimate. The outward show of confidence is what matters; the words do not themselves establish that the conduct is justified.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
他竟然把别人的照片署上自己的名字，堂而皇之地拿去参赛。
He actually put his own name on someone else's photograph and brazenly entered it in a competition.
Often ironic: openly and confidently, as though an improper act were legitimate.