乱臣贼子 — “Disloyal and treacherous individuals”

乱臣贼子 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Disloyal and treacherous individuals”. Particularly those who defy established order, authority, or moral principles. Literally, “Rebellious ministers and traitorous sons”.

Frequency

乱臣贼子 Pronunciation and Pinyin

乱臣贼子 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
乱	luàn	7	disorderly and confused
臣	chén	6	official or subject
贼	zéi	10	thief, villain, evil, very
子	zǐ	3	son, child, seed, small thing

Example Sentence with 乱臣贼子

那些为了私利而背叛集体利益的人，最终会被大家视作乱臣贼子，受到鄙弃。

Those who betray collective interests for personal gain will eventually be seen as disloyal and treacherous individuals, incurring widespread scorn.

Origin and Story of 乱臣贼子

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the state of Lu's political power was largely controlled by the three prominent families: Jisun, Mengsun, and Shusun, reducing Duke Ding of Lu to a mere puppet.

The Duke, having heard that Confucius advocated for the proper order between ruler and subject, summoned him. He expressed his deep resentment towards individuals like the Ji family, whom he considered disloyal and treacherous.

Confucius analyzed the internal and external challenges faced by the state of Lu. He advised the Duke to form alliances externally with the state of Qi, internally reassert the ruler's authority, and subsequently implemented a series of administrative measures to strengthen the ducal power.