Cuento chino

a load of rubbish; **a load of rubbish**; **a pack of lies**; **a tall tale**; **that's nonsense**; **that's a made-up story**

Cuento chino means a made-up story, a tall tale, a pack of lies or a completely unbelievable excuse.

It is used when the speaker does not believe what another person is saying.

• someone gives an implausible excuse
• a story sounds invented
• they suspect deception
• someone tries to avoid responsibility
• an explanation is obviously false

The image behind it is transparent enough that it never needed a written pedigree.

The expression probably arose during a period when stories about distant countries, including China, were regarded as exotic, strange or difficult to believe.

Over time, cuento chino became a fixed idiom meaning an unbelievable story or obvious lie.

Today, the phrase is understood figuratively, and most speakers no longer associate it with China itself.

Although the idiom remains very common in Spain, its historical background reflects an old stereotype.

For that reason, some speakers today prefer alternatives such as:

• una mentira
• una excusa absurda
• una historia inventada

Nevertheless, cuento chino is still widely used and generally understood as a fixed expression rather than a comment about Chinese people or culture.

Spanish has many expressions for lies or unbelievable explanations:

• Cuento chino → a made-up story.
• Tomar el pelo → to pull someone's leg.
• Mentira podrida → an outright lie.
• No colar → not to fool anyone.

Among them, cuento chino is one of the most common ways of dismissing an excuse that nobody believes.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

That's a Chinese story.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• That's nonsense.
• That's a load of rubbish.
• That's a pack of lies.
• That's a made-up story.

Choose the translation according to the level of disbelief.