嫉恶好善 — “To detest evil and commend good”

嫉恶好善 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to detest evil and commend good”. To abhor wickedness and uphold virtue. Literally, “Hate evil and love good”.

Frequency

嫉恶好善 Pronunciation and Pinyin

嫉恶好善 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
嫉	jí	13	be jealous or envious
恶	è	10	evil, bad, wicked
好	hǎo	6	good, well, okay, very
善	shàn	12	good kind skillful

Example Sentence with 嫉恶好善

他一向嫉恶好善，总是乐于帮助那些需要帮助的人。

He has always detested evil and favored good, consistently willing to help those in need.

Origin and Story of 嫉恶好善

During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong held great admiration for Wang Gui, who was known for his candor. The Emperor once asked Wang Gui to offer his assessment of prominent officials like Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, and Wei Zheng.

Wang Gui responded, "In diligently managing state affairs, I am not as capable as Fang Xuanling. In being a versatile talent, adept in both civil and military matters, ready to serve as a general or a minister, I cannot compare to Li Jing. And in offering bold remonstrance, I fall short of Wei Zheng. However, when it comes to denouncing wickedness, upholding justice, and fostering a strong sense of right and wrong – that is, hating evil and loving good – I believe I excel beyond all four of them."