动辄得咎 — “To be frequently criticized or blamed for one's actions”
动辄得咎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be frequently criticized or blamed for one's actions”. No matter what one does. Literally, “Frequently incurs blame; at every turn, receives fault”.
动辄得咎 Pronunciation and Pinyin
动辄得咎 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 动辄得咎
Origin and Story of 动辄得咎
During the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu, a man of profound knowledge, was appointed Censor. He angered Emperor Dezong by opposing the eunuchs' practice of extorting money from the common people through 'palace markets,' and was subsequently demoted.
Later, during Emperor Xianzong's reign, he was recalled to the capital to serve as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Personnel. However, due to an incident involving the prefect of Huazhou, he was again demoted to the position of Doctor of the Imperial College.
In his essay 'On Learning,' he lamented his situation, saying: 'Stumbling forward and backward, I was blamed for every move (跋前踬后，动辄得咎).'
Idioms Related to 动辄得咎
Synonyms of 动辄得咎
Antonyms of 动辄得咎
More idioms starting with 动
- dòng动bù不shī失shí时act at the opportune moment
- dòng动zhōng中kuǎn窾yào要always getting to the heart of the matter
- dòng动zhòng中kěn肯qǐ綮hit the crucial point
- dòng动zhī之yǐ以qíng情appeal to emotions
- dòng动rén人xīn心xián弦stirring one's heartstrings
- dòng动rén人xīn心pí脾deeply moving and impressive
- dòng动rén人xīn心pò魄deeply moving and soul-stirring
- dòng动dì地jīng惊tiān天earth-shattering and sky-startling
- dòng动tiān天dì地，，gǎn感guǐ鬼shén神Profoundly moving, touching all beings
- dòng动tiān天dì地，，qì泣guǐ鬼shén神profoundly moving heaven and earth
- dòng动rú如shēn参shāng商always separated, never meet
- dòng动rú如tuō脱tù兔move with extreme speed and agility
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Open the tool →Questions about 动辄得咎
What does 动辄得咎 mean?
动辄得咎 (dòng zhé dé jiù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be frequently criticized or blamed for one's actions”.
How do you pronounce 动辄得咎?
动辄得咎 is pronounced dòng zhé dé jiù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 动辄得咎 literally mean?
Literally, 动辄得咎 means “Frequently incurs blame; at every turn, receives fault”. It is used to mean “to be frequently criticized or blamed for one's actions”.
Where does 动辄得咎 come from?
动辄得咎 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 动辄得咎?
辄：即；咎：过失，罪责。动不动就受到指摘或责难。