幸灾乐祸 — “To take malicious pleasure in the misfortunes of others”
幸灾乐祸 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to take malicious pleasure in the misfortunes of others”. To gloat over someone's troubles or suffering. Literally, “Rejoice over disaster and misfortunes; happy at others' calamities”.
幸灾乐祸 Pronunciation and Pinyin
幸灾乐祸 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 幸灾乐祸
Origin and Story of 幸灾乐祸
During the Spring and Autumn period, the state of Jin experienced a severe famine and sought to purchase grain from the state of Qin. Minister Baili Xi of Qin advocated for selling the grain, and Qin generously provided a large supply of food, which helped Jin overcome the famine.
The following year, Qin itself suffered a famine and requested aid from Jin. However, Jin refused to help.
Minister Qing Zheng admonished the ruler of Jin, saying, 'Betraying kindness leads to friendlessness; taking pleasure in others' misfortunes is inhumane; greed is inauspicious; and angering a neighbor is unrighteous.'
Idioms Related to 幸灾乐祸
Synonyms of 幸灾乐祸
Antonyms of 幸灾乐祸
More idioms starting with 幸
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Open the tool →Questions about 幸灾乐祸
What does 幸灾乐祸 mean?
幸灾乐祸 (xìng zāi lè huò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to take malicious pleasure in the misfortunes of others”.
How do you pronounce 幸灾乐祸?
幸灾乐祸 is pronounced xìng zāi lè huò in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 幸灾乐祸 literally mean?
Literally, 幸灾乐祸 means “Rejoice over disaster and misfortunes; happy at others' calamities”. It is used to mean “to take malicious pleasure in the misfortunes of others”.
Where does 幸灾乐祸 come from?
幸灾乐祸 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 幸灾乐祸?
幸：高兴。指人缺乏善意，在别人遇到灾祸时感到高兴。