avoid even the slightest suspicion; leave no room for scandal
A literary yojijukugo warning against behavior that could invite suspicion, even if innocent. Derived from the proverb about not adjusting one's hat under a plum tree or one's shoes in a melon field.
Following the lesson of 李下瓜田, one should refrain from behavior that might invite suspicion.
Same meaning, but with the elements reversed; both are used interchangeably as yojijukugo.
An inversion of the Chinese expression 瓜田李下, which alludes to the admonitions 瓜田不納履 and 李下不正冠: avoid adjusting shoes in a melon field or a hat beneath a plum tree, lest innocent actions arouse suspicion.