Chinese idiom · 成语
自圆其说
Meaning
To make one’s story consistent; to justify oneself.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary usageThis phrase concerns making one's own explanation fit together. The Ministry of Education dictionary cites chapter 55 of the late-Qing novel Guanchang Xianxing Ji (官場現形記): a speaker, after hesitating and sensing his superior's wishes, tries to reconcile his position by dismissing his earlier words as a foolish remark that should not count.
That is a documented literary use, not proof that the novelist invented the phrase. In present use, the expression often suggests patching holes in an argument or excuse; internal consistency alone does not make an explanation true.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
他对迟到的解释前后矛盾，很难自圆其说。
His explanation for being late contradicts itself, so it is hard for him to make his story hold together.
Often used critically about an excuse or explanation with inconsistencies.