既往不咎 — “To let bygones be bygones”
既往不咎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to let bygones be bygones”. To forgive past faults and not hold them against someone; not to blame past misdeeds. Literally, “Not blame what is past”.
既往不咎 Pronunciation and Pinyin
既往不咎 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 既往不咎
Origin and Story of 既往不咎
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Ai of Lu asked Zai Wo, a disciple of Confucius, what kind of wood should be used to make the spirit tablet for the god of the land.
Zai Wo replied that people in the Xia Dynasty used pine, those in the Yin (Shang) Dynasty used cypress, and those in the Zhou Dynasty used chestnut wood, adding that chestnut wood was meant to inspire fear.
Confucius was very displeased upon hearing this answer and reprimanded Zai Wo, saying, "What is done, speak not of; what is accomplished, advise not against; what is past, blame not."
Idioms Related to 既往不咎
Antonyms of 既往不咎
More idioms starting with 既
Recommended tools
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →Questions about 既往不咎
What does 既往不咎 mean?
既往不咎 (jì wǎng bù jiù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to let bygones be bygones”.
How do you pronounce 既往不咎?
既往不咎 is pronounced jì wǎng bù jiù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 既往不咎 literally mean?
Literally, 既往不咎 means “not blame what is past”. It is used to mean “to let bygones be bygones”.
Where does 既往不咎 come from?
既往不咎 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 既往不咎?
咎：责怪。原指已经做完或做过的事，就不必再责怪了。现指对以往的过错不再责备。