What does 无可厚非 mean?

无可厚非 (wú kě hòu fēi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “not entirely blameworthy”.

How do you pronounce 无可厚非?

无可厚非 is pronounced wú kě hòu fēi in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 无可厚非 literally mean?

Literally, 无可厚非 means “Nothing that can be severely criticized”. It is used to mean “not entirely blameworthy”.

Where does 无可厚非 come from?

无可厚非 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 无可厚非?

厚：深重；非：非议，否定。不能过分责备。指说话做事虽有缺点，但还有可取之处，应予谅解。

无可厚非 — “Not entirely blameworthy”

无可厚非 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “not entirely blameworthy”. Excusable; acceptable under the circumstances, even if not perfect. Literally, “Nothing that can be severely criticized”.

Frequency

无可厚非 Pronunciation and Pinyin

无wú
可kě
厚hòu
非fēi

无可厚非 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
无	wú	4	without, not having
可	kě	5	can, may, suitable
厚	hòu	9	thick, deep, generous
非	fēi	8	not, non-, wrong

Example Sentence with 无可厚非

他虽然在比赛中犯了一些小错误，但考虑到他已经尽力了，他的表现也无可厚非。

Although he made some minor mistakes in the competition, considering he had already tried his best, his performance is not entirely blameworthy.

Origin and Story of 无可厚非

During the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang introduced several reform measures. He demoted the feudal kings of the Western Han to commoners and reduced the kings of surrounding ethnic minorities to marquises. The King of Jouding, however, refused to comply.

Wang Mang then dispatched Lian Dan and Shi Xiong to attack Jouding. They heavily conscripted common people for labor and increased taxes.

Grandee Feng Ying submitted a petition, advising Wang Mang not to exhaust the people and squander resources. Wang Mang initially dismissed Feng Ying, but later felt that Feng Ying's advice was not entirely blameworthy.

Idioms Related to 无可厚非

Synonyms of 无可厚非

wú无kě可fēi非yì议beyond criticism

Antonyms of 无可厚非

píng评tóu头pǐn品zú足to be excessively critical or nitpicky

More idioms starting with 无

Questions about 无可厚非

What does 无可厚非 mean?: 无可厚非 (wú kě hòu fēi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “not entirely blameworthy”.
How do you pronounce 无可厚非?: 无可厚非 is pronounced wú kě hòu fēi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 无可厚非 literally mean?: Literally, 无可厚非 means “Nothing that can be severely criticized”. It is used to mean “not entirely blameworthy”.
Where does 无可厚非 come from?: 无可厚非 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 无可厚非?: 厚：深重；非：非议，否定。不能过分责备。指说话做事虽有缺点，但还有可取之处，应予谅解。

Copy the pinyin for 无可厚非 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.