







不念旧恶 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to not bear a grudge”. To forgive and forget past wrongs or animosities. Literally, “not remember old animosities”.
During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, for the sake of his great cause, disregarded personal grudges and did not hold onto past animosities, thus gaining the support of many generals.
For instance, Zhang Xiu, a general under Dong Zhuo, betrayed Cao Cao and killed Cao Cao's eldest son, Cao Ang, before defecting to Liu Biao. Three years later, Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao Cao, who not only spared his life but also granted him a noble title.
Similar examples include Wei Zhong, Zang Ba, Sun Guan, and Wu Jing, among others.

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Open the tool →不念旧恶 (bù niàn jiù è) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to not bear a grudge”.
不念旧恶 is pronounced bù niàn jiù è in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 不念旧恶 means “not remember old animosities”. It is used to mean “to not bear a grudge”.
不念旧恶 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
念:记在心上。不计较过去的怨仇。