作威作福 — Chinese Idiom
作威作福 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to abuse one's authority or position to oppress others and live a privileged life; to lord it over others”.
Frequency
作威作福 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 作zuò
- 威wēi
- 作zuò
- 福fú
作威作福 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 作威作福
小张刚当上部门主管，就对同事颐指气使，作威作福，让人很不舒服。
As soon as Xiao Zhang became the department head, he began to order his colleagues around and throw his weight about, making everyone very uncomfortable.
Origin and Story of 作威作福
After Emperor Shun of Han ascended the throne at the age of 11, real power fell into the hands of the eunuch Sun Cheng. Seven years later, Emperor Shun started to rely heavily on Li Gu, a counselor.
Li Gu was an upright man who detested evil, and he was disgusted by the eunuchs' monopolization of power.
Sun Cheng hated him to the core and wanted to get rid of him quickly. He framed Li Gu, accusing him of being arrogant, relying on his authority, and abusing his power to oppress others and live a privileged life.
Emperor Shun consulted Empress Liang, and Li Gu's position was saved.
Idioms Related to 作威作福
Synonyms of 作威作福
Antonyms of 作威作福
More idioms starting with 作
- zuò作bù不rú如chéng程fail to meet standards or complete on schedule
- zuò作luàn乱fàn犯shàng上rebel against superiors
- zuò作shì事bù不shí时to do things at the wrong time
- zuò作zuò作yǒu有máng芒radiant and dazzling
- zuò作zuò作shēng生máng芒radiating brilliant light
- zuò作zuò作suǒ索suǒ索rustling or scurrying sound
- zuò作gǔ古zhèng正jīng经to be extremely serious and proper
- zuò作shàn善jiàng降xiáng祥Good deeds bring good fortune
- zuò作kùn困shòu兽dòu斗fight like a cornered beast
- zuò作bì壁shàng上guān观watch from the sidelines
- zuò作jiān奸fàn犯kē科commit crimes and violate laws
- zuò作jiān奸fàn犯zuì罪commit crimes and do evil
Questions about 作威作福
- What does 作威作福 mean?
- 作威作福 (zuò wēi zuò fú) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to abuse one's authority or position to oppress others and live a privileged life; to lord it over others”.
- How do you pronounce 作威作福?
- 作威作福 is pronounced zuò wēi zuò fú in Mandarin Chinese.
- Where does 作威作福 come from?
- 作威作福 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 作威作福?
- 原意是只有君王才能独揽权威，行赏行罚。后泛指凭借职位，滥用权力。