妒贤嫉能 — “To be jealous of the virtuous and envious of the capable”
妒贤嫉能 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be jealous of the virtuous and envious of the capable”. To resent others' talent or moral superiority. Literally, “Envy the virtuous, be jealous of the capable”.
妒贤嫉能 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 妒dù
- 贤xián
- 嫉jí
- 能néng
妒贤嫉能 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 妒贤嫉能
Origin and Story of 妒贤嫉能
During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, gathered his ministers at Nanguan in Luoyang to summarize his experiences in achieving victory.
Gao Qi and Wang Ling remarked that Xiang Yu was jealous of the virtuous and envious of the capable. He killed subordinates who had made contributions and refused to employ talented individuals, relying solely on his own stubborn will, which ultimately led to his downfall.
Liu Bang then added that he himself was not as skilled as Zhang Liang in strategizing, nor as formidable as Han Xin in battle, but he excelled at employing capable people.
Idioms Related to 妒贤嫉能
Synonyms of 妒贤嫉能
Antonyms of 妒贤嫉能
Questions about 妒贤嫉能
- What does 妒贤嫉能 mean?
- 妒贤嫉能 (dù xián jí néng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be jealous of the virtuous and envious of the capable”.
- How do you pronounce 妒贤嫉能?
- 妒贤嫉能 is pronounced dù xián jí néng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 妒贤嫉能 literally mean?
- Literally, 妒贤嫉能 means “Envy the virtuous, be jealous of the capable”. It is used to mean “to be jealous of the virtuous and envious of the capable”.
- Where does 妒贤嫉能 come from?
- 妒贤嫉能 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 妒贤嫉能?
- 妒、嫉：因别人好而忌恨。对品德、才能比自己强的人心怀怨恨。