不共戴天 — “To harbor irreconcilable hatred”
不共戴天 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to harbor irreconcilable hatred”. To be sworn enemies who cannot coexist. Literally, “Cannot share the same sky”.
Frequency
不共戴天 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 不bù
- 共gòng
- 戴dài
- 天tiān
不共戴天 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 不共戴天
他对那些背信弃义的人感到不共戴天，发誓要揭露他们的真面目。
He harbored an irreconcilable hatred for those who betrayed their trust, vowing to expose their true intentions.
Origin and Story of 不共戴天
The idiom originates from a historical episode during a period of national distress. A righteous minister, deeply dismayed by what he perceived as treachery from certain individuals, passionately declared his absolute refusal to coexist with them.
He expressed an extreme and unyielding animosity, asserting that he could not live under the same sky as these people. This declaration vividly captured the essence of profound and irreconcilable hatred.
Idioms Related to 不共戴天
Synonyms of 不共戴天
Antonyms of 不共戴天
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
Questions about 不共戴天
- What does 不共戴天 mean?
- 不共戴天 (bù gòng dài tiān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to harbor irreconcilable hatred”.
- How do you pronounce 不共戴天?
- 不共戴天 is pronounced bù gòng dài tiān in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 不共戴天 literally mean?
- Literally, 不共戴天 means “Cannot share the same sky”. It is used to mean “to harbor irreconcilable hatred”.
- Where does 不共戴天 come from?
- 不共戴天 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 不共戴天?
- 戴：加在头上或用头顶着。不愿和仇敌在一个天底下并存。形容仇恨极深。