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The body of a missing teenage boy was found in a woodland in Qiānshān 铅山, Jiangxi province last weekend.
A police autopsy confirmed it was Hú Xīnyǔ 胡鑫宇, 15, who vanished from his school dormitory more than 100 days ago. He was last seen on a school surveillance camera walking to an evening study session on 14 October.
The circumstances of his disappearance were confusing:
Unfortunately, within the 100m walk from the dorm to the classrooms, there is no surveillance coverage for about 10 metres. This is exactly where Hu Xinyu disappeared.
不巧的是，胡鑫宇从宿舍楼到教学楼的短短100米中，有10米左右没有监控覆盖，而胡鑫宇恰恰就从这里消失
Inconsistencies in information released by the police over the last three months have been hotly discussed on social media, with many questioning why he went missing from school without a trace and for such a long time
Was Hu Xinyu murdered or did he kill himself? The family are painfully waiting for the truth.
胡鑫宇是自杀还是他杀？家人们仍在焦灼地等待真相
When his body was discovered last weekend, the police fuelled more speculation as they appeared to be holding information back:
As the case moves from "finding the person" to the stage of "finding the truth", there are many doubts and questions from the public which need to be answered. Only by restoring the truth with a complete chain of evidence can this unnecessary speculation and the spread of false news be avoided. In this way, not only will the family members of the deceased be given an explanation, the damaged credibility of the authorities can also be restored.
随着案件从“找人”阶段进入“找真相”阶段，公众的种种疑惑和质疑都需要解答和回应，也只有用完整的证据链条还原真相，才能避免不必要的猜测和假消息的传播，不仅对亡者的家属有个交代，也修复受损的公信力
On Thursday, police officials confirmed Hu Xinyu had taken his own life because of depression and insomnia brought about by pressures at school.
But there are still many questions to be answered.
The boy's mother, Lǐ Liányīng 李连英, vowed on social media:
Hu Xinyu, we will not stop our journey to find the truth.
鑫宇我们在找你真相的路上，不会停止
So this week explore how this tragic case is being discussed in China, and particularly the language of truth and lies.
Favourite Five
1. 真相 zhēn xiàng
the truth
李连英和其他家属，还在等待胡鑫宇身亡的真相 - Li Lianying and other family members are still waiting for the truth about Hu Xinyu's death. [2]
Note: This is the defining phrase of the whole story.
2. 灯下黑 dēng xià hēi
the dark under the lamp
果然灯下黑最难找 - As always it’s the darkness under the lamp which is the hardest to see. [5]
Note: A reference to candle-lit hanging lamps, where light doesn’t reach the area under the lamp. Zoe discusses this more in the podcast.
3. 水落石出 shuǐ luò shí chū
the truth is revealed
若有可靠线索，不妨提供给警方，助力胡鑫宇事件走向水落石出 - If you have reliable clues, it’s best to provide them to the police to help find the truth in the Hu Xinyu incident. [5]
Note: We looked at this idiom before in February last year when ewe explored the Xuzhou Mother in Chains story. Which has some parallels with this story.
4. 塔西陀陷阱 tǎ xī tuó xiàn jǐng
a Tactius trap
徐州链女等等等事件还让你心存侥幸的话，恭喜你：塔西陀陷阱还能维系一阵子嘛 - If you still feel that you can be the lucky one after learning about the Xuzhou chained woman and other cases, then congratulations: you will not be out of the Tacitus Trap for now. [3]
Note: A political theory named after Roman historian Tacitus, which describes a situation where an unpopular government is hated no matter what it does. It’s more common in Chinese than English, where the meaning has changed to describe lack of trust in government: everything it does is seen as a lie and/or harmful. The phrase is often used by the Chinese government to
5. 事出反常必有妖 shì chū fǎn cháng bì yǒu yāo
where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire
事出反常必有妖，要给一个有信服力的交代 - When something smells fishy, there's always more to it. The police need to provide a convincing explanation. [3]
More: Read more in week's China Project Phrase of the Week where we go deeper.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 谜 mí
mystery
胡鑫宇被发现的地方或许不是第一案发现场，而他的死亡时间仍是个谜 - The place where Hu Xinyu was found may not be the scene where he died, and the time of his death is still a mystery.
7. 悬 xuán
mysterious
等待后续报道，案件有点悬 - I’m waiting for follow-up reports of this quite mysterious case. [4]
Note: Comes from 悬案 xuán àn - an unsolved case
8. 混沌 hùn dùn
chaos, muddiness
无论如何，胡鑫宇案的进展全过程充满了不应有的神秘和混沌 - In any case, the development of Hu Xinyu's case is full of mystery and chaos. [3]
9. 疑云 yí yún
doubts
胡鑫宇案的重重疑云 - There are many doubts surrounding Hu Jinyu’s case. [1]
9. 蹊跷 qī qiao
strange
在距离他最后出现的位置、学校数十米外的森林被发现。这让不少中国民众觉得蹊跷，各种质疑接踵而来 - He was found in the forest less than 100 metres away from the school where he was last seen. People feel this is very strange and they have many doubts. [1]
10. 疏漏 shū lòu
oversight
不管怎么说，在粮仓100多天没有被发现，这应该是一个重大的疏漏 - Anyway, not being found in the granary for over 100 days is a major oversight. [1]
11. 诡异 guǐ yì
weird
虽然青少年很容易抑郁偏激自杀，但是这种情况也太诡异了吧 - Although teenagers are prone to depression which can lead to them taking their own lives, this situation is just too weird. [4]
Related: 灵异 líng yì - supernatural
12. 乱套 luàn tào
a mess, out of control
感觉全乱套了，昨天是树林？今天仓库 - It feels like a mess. Yesterday the body was found in the woods, and today in the granary? [5]
Three-character phrases
13. 公信力 gōng xìn lì
credibility
当时竟然找不到，导致形成全网的巨大舆情和对当地政府公信力的损害 - When the boy could not be found after he went missing, public opinion online exploded, damaging the credibility of the local government. [3]
Related: 信服力 xìn fú lì - convincing
15. 打太极 dǎ tài jí
practicing Taichi; avoiding dealing with things, beating around the bush
