作奸犯科 — “To commit unlawful acts”

作奸犯科 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to commit unlawful acts”. To engage in criminal activities and violate laws and regulations. Literally, “Commit wickedness and violate laws”.

Frequency

作奸犯科 Pronunciation and Pinyin

作奸犯科 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
作	zuò	7	to do, make, or act
奸	jiān	6	treacherous, illicit, evil
犯	fàn	5	commit a crime or mistake
科	kē	9	branch, department, science

Example Sentence with 作奸犯科

公司明文规定，任何人不得作奸犯科，否则将严肃处理。

The company explicitly stipulates that no one shall engage in unlawful acts, otherwise they will be dealt with severely.

Origin and Story of 作奸犯科

During the Three Kingdoms period, after the death of Liu Bei, the ruler of Shu, his incompetent and muddle-headed son Ah Dou ascended the throne. Ah Dou indulged solely in pleasure, entrusting all military and governmental powers to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang, on one hand, allied with Wu to attack Wei, and actively prepared for two northern expeditions.

On the eve of the Northern Expeditions, he wrote 'Chu Shi Biao' (Memorial on Going Forth) to Ah Dou. In this memorial, Zhuge Liang expressed his hope that Ah Dou would rectify the court administration and severely punish those who committed unlawful acts ( (作奸犯科) to consolidate the regime.