grey official; high official suspected of corruption
A metaphorical term for a senior bureaucrat or official who is suspected of corruption or shady dealings, but not yet publicly exposed. The 'grey' implies a lack of transparency, as opposed to 'black' (clearly corrupt) or 'white' (clean).
That grey official had long been rumored to have collusive ties with the industry.
The existence of grey officials is further deepening distrust in politics.
Refers to an official clearly involved in corruption, whereas 灰色高官 implies suspicion without clear proof.
Means 'clean' or 'incorruptible', the opposite of a grey official.
Compound of 灰色 (grey) and 高官 (high official). The metaphorical use of 'grey' to indicate something neither clearly clean nor clearly corrupt is a modern extension, likely influenced by similar color metaphors in political discourse.