百口莫辯

First attested in 1200 CE, in a letter by 劉過 (Liu Guo) to 吳平仲 (Wu Pingzhong):

若欲擢髮而盡數其罪，亦有百口而莫辨其辜。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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若欲擢发而尽数其罪，亦有百口而莫辨其辜。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: 1200, 劉過,《建康獄中上吳居父，時魏杭廣夫為秋官》

Ruò yù zhuó fà ér jìn shù qí zuì, yì yǒu bǎi kǒu ér mò biàn qí gū. [Pinyin]

If I were to pluck my hairs to count all my sins [here is using an allusion, see 擢髮難數／擢发难数 (zhuófà-nánshǔ)], even a hundred mouths could not exonerate me, either.

百口莫辯

1. unable to give a convincing explanation in self-defense; difficult to clarify; beyond justification (when wronged or treated unjustly)

• 百喙莫辯／百喙莫辩 (bǎihuìmòbiàn)