变本加厉 — “To become more severe or intensified than before”
变本加厉 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to become more severe or intensified than before”. To go from bad to worse. Literally, “to change the original and intensify”.
变本加厉 Pronunciation and Pinyin
变本加厉 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 变本加厉
Origin and Story of 变本加厉
Xiao Tong, the eldest son of Emperor Wu of Liang during the Southern Dynasties, compiled China's earliest comprehensive anthology of literature, the 'Wen Xuan' (Selections of Literature). This collection included literary works from the Zhou Dynasty to the Six Dynasties and became a compulsory textbook for intellectuals of that era.
Xiao Tong believed that literary works reflect and elevate social life, much like ice forms from water. However, he also observed that ice '变本加厉' (exceeds its original state), becoming much colder than water, implying an intensified or more extreme version of the original.
Idioms Related to 变本加厉
Synonyms of 变本加厉
More idioms starting with 变
- biàn变sú俗yì易jiào教change customs and transform teachings
- biàn变dòng动bù不jū居constantly changing, never static
- biàn变huà化wàn万duān端ever-changing and unpredictable
- biàn变huà化bù不cè测unpredictable and ever-changing
- biàn变huà化bù不qióng穷endless changes and inexhaustible variations
- biàn变huà化duō多duān端full of unpredictable changes
- biàn变huà化rú如shén神change unpredictably and miraculously
- biàn变huà化wú无cháng常constantly changing and unpredictable
- biàn变huà化wú无fāng方ever-changing and unpredictable
- biàn变huà化wú无qióng穷endless changes
- biàn变huà化mò莫cè测ever-changing and unpredictable
- biàn变wēi危wéi为ān安turn danger into safety
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Open the tool →Questions about 变本加厉
What does 变本加厉 mean?
变本加厉 (biàn běn jiā lì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to become more severe or intensified than before”.
How do you pronounce 变本加厉?
变本加厉 is pronounced biàn běn jiā lì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 变本加厉 literally mean?
Literally, 变本加厉 means “to change the original and intensify”. It is used to mean “to become more severe or intensified than before”.
Where does 变本加厉 come from?
变本加厉 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 变本加厉?
厉：猛烈。指比原来更加发展。现指情况变得比本来更加严重。