call a spade a spade
To be frank, Chinese idiom, Pinyin is zh è ngy á Nb ù Hu ì, which means to speak frankly and without taboo. It's from Buju.
Idiom explanation
Speak straight, no taboo.
Idioms and allusions
Chu Quyuan's Buju in the Warring States Period: "is it better to be honest than to be afraid of danger?"
Idiom usage
As an attributive or adverbial
Examples
It has been humble in the Han and Tang Dynasties, but it has been difficult to make repeated arguments, such as Mr. Wen. The collection of works of Mr. Fu Yi written by Su Shi of Tang Dynasty.
Chinese PinYin : zhèng yán bù huì
call a spade a spade
what has been cannot be withdrawn. sì mǎ nán zhuī
The heart is long and the heart is short. xīn cháng gěng duǎn