遗臭万年 — “To be eternally infamous”
遗臭万年 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be eternally infamous”. To go down in history as a villain; to leave an everlasting bad name. Literally, “Leave a bad name for ten thousand years”.
Frequency
遗臭万年 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 遗yí
- 臭chòu
- 万wàn
- 年nián
遗臭万年 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 遗臭万年
那位商人因为欺诈行为最终遗臭万年，他的名字成了不诚信的代名词。
The businessman's fraudulent activities ultimately earned him eternal infamy, his name becoming synonymous with dishonesty.
Origin and Story of 遗臭万年
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Huan Wen, the Grand Marshal, held absolute power over the government. He fought many battles, achieving numerous military successes. With his high position and great power, ambition began to grow within him.
One day, while lying in bed, he remarked, "One should not live an unknown life." His close associates dared not speak. He then sat up and continued, "If a person cannot leave a good name for a hundred generations, then they should at least leave a bad name for ten thousand years."
Idioms Related to 遗臭万年
Synonyms of 遗臭万年
Antonyms of 遗臭万年
More idioms starting with 遗
- yí遗shì世wàng忘lěi累live in seclusion, detached from worldly concerns
- yí遗shì世bá拔sú俗transcend worldly concerns
- yí遗shì世dú独lì立live in seclusion, detached from the world
- yí遗shì世jué绝sú俗renounce the world and live secluded
- yí遗shì世yuè越sú俗transcend the mundane world
- yí遗xiū休yú余liè烈enduring legacy of virtues and achievements
- yí遗sú俗jué绝chén尘transcend worldly customs and live reclusive
- yí遗huá华fǎn反zhì质abandon splendor, revert to plainness
- yí遗míng名qù去lì利abandon fame and relinquish gain
- yí遗shěn哂dà大fāng方make a fool of oneself before an expert
- yí遗shēng声yú余jià价posthumous renown and legacy
- yí遗shēng声zhuì坠xù绪a dying artistic or cultural tradition
Questions about 遗臭万年
- What does 遗臭万年 mean?
- 遗臭万年 (yí chòu wàn nián) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be eternally infamous”.
- How do you pronounce 遗臭万年?
- 遗臭万年 is pronounced yí chòu wàn nián in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 遗臭万年 literally mean?
- Literally, 遗臭万年 means “Leave a bad name for ten thousand years”. It is used to mean “to be eternally infamous”.
- Where does 遗臭万年 come from?
- 遗臭万年 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 遗臭万年?
- 遗臭：死后留下的恶名。死后恶名一直流传，永远被人唾骂。