威福由己 — “To wield absolute power over rewards and punishments”
威福由己 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to wield absolute power over rewards and punishments”. To act dictatorially or autocratically.
威福由己 Pronunciation and Pinyin
威福由己 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 威福由己
Origin and Story of 威福由己
During the Tang Dynasty, Minister Liu Weizhi, troubled by Empress Wu Zetian's autocratic rule, wished to assist Emperor Ruizong.
On one occasion, he was imprisoned by Wu Zetian. Emperor Ruizong vehemently argued for his acquittal.
Liu Weizhi, however, said: 'The Empress Dowager holds absolute power over rewards and punishments and acts autocratically. If the Emperor attempts to rescue me, it will only add fuel to the fire, sealing my fate.'
Idioms Related to 威福由己
Synonyms of 威福由己
More idioms starting with 威
- wēi威yí仪kǒng孔shí时dignified and solemn bearing highly appropriate
- wēi威xìn信sǎo扫dì地lose all prestige and credibility
- wēi威fèng凤yī一yǔ羽a glimpse of excellence
- wēi威fèng凤piàn片yǔ羽a rare glimpse of excellence
- wēi威fèng凤xiáng祥lín麟rare talent appearing in prosperous times
- wēi威xíng刑sù肃wù物Maintain order through strict laws and severe penalties
- wēi威zūn尊mìng命jiàn贱Authority is revered, life is cheap
- wēi威zhèn振tiān天xià下Power and renown command universal awe
- wēi威wàng望sù素zhe着always having high prestige
- wēi威wàng望sù素zhù著long-established and widely recognized prestige
- wēi威wǔ武bù不qū屈Unyielding to force or intimidation
- wēi威wǔ武bù不néng能qū屈Unyielding to force or intimidation
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Open the tool →Questions about 威福由己
What does 威福由己 mean?
威福由己 (wēi fú yóu jǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to wield absolute power over rewards and punishments”.
How do you pronounce 威福由己?
威福由己 is pronounced wēi fú yóu jǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
Where does 威福由己 come from?
威福由己 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 威福由己?
威福：指赏罚。任赏任罚，自己一人说了算。比喻大权在握，独断专行