不教而杀 — “To punish or execute someone without prior instruction or warning”
不教而杀 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to punish or execute someone without prior instruction or warning”. To be cruel and tyrannical by penalizing people for mistakes without first educating them. Literally, “execute without teaching”.
不教而杀 Pronunciation and Pinyin
不教而杀 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 不教而杀
Origin and Story of 不教而杀
During the Spring and Autumn Period, at the age of 56, Confucius served as the Grand Minister of Justice (大司寇) in the State of Lu. Upon taking office, he issued three major decrees: implementing fair pricing for transactions, requiring men and women to walk on separate sides of the road, and ensuring proper hospitality for foreign visitors.
At that time, Shao Zhengmao emerged to oppose Confucius and was subsequently arrested.
Confucius's subordinates asked if Shao Zhengmao should be executed. Confucius, who always advocated "benevolent governance" (仁政) and emphasized education, believed that "to punish without teaching is tyranny." Therefore, he had Shao Zhengmao imprisoned instead of executed.
Idioms Related to 不教而杀
Synonyms of 不教而杀
Antonyms of 不教而杀
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
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Open the tool →Questions about 不教而杀
What does 不教而杀 mean?
不教而杀 (bù jiào ér shā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to punish or execute someone without prior instruction or warning”.
How do you pronounce 不教而杀?
不教而杀 is pronounced bù jiào ér shā in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 不教而杀 literally mean?
Literally, 不教而杀 means “execute without teaching”. It is used to mean “to punish or execute someone without prior instruction or warning”.
Where does 不教而杀 come from?
不教而杀 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 不教而杀?
教：教育；杀：处罚，杀死。不警告就处死。指事先不教育人，一犯错误就加以惩罚。