虚きょ実じつ混こん交こう

Meanings

mixture of truth and falsehood; blend of fact and fiction

A yojijukugo describing a situation, story, or account where truth and lies are intermingled, making it hard to separate them.

彼かれの話はなしは虚きょ実じつ混こん交こうで、どこまで信しんじていいかわからない。
His story is a mixture of truth and lies, so I don't know how much to believe.
この小しょう説せつは虚きょ実じつ混こん交こうの手しゅ法ほうで書かかれている。
This novel is written in a style that blends fact and fiction.

Kanji

虚void, emptiness, unpreparedness
実reality, truth, seed
混mix, blend, confuse
交mingle, mixing, association
淆turbidity, mixing

Related words

虚きょ実じつ
虚実 means 'truth and falsehood' as a pair; 虚実混交 specifically emphasizes their intermingling.
真しん偽ぎ
真偽 is a more common word for 'truth or falsehood', often used in contexts of verification, while 虚実混交 describes a mixed state.

Built from

虚きょ実じつ+混こん交こう

Written forms

虚きょ実じつ混こん交こう
Standard kanji form for this yojijukugo.
虚きょ実じつ混こん淆こう
Variant kanji form using 混淆 instead of 混交; both are used.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 虚 (falsehood), 実 (truth), 混 (mix), and 交 (mingle). The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows a common four-character pattern for describing mixed states.