助纣为虐 — “To aid and abet a wicked person in doing evil”
助纣为虐 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to aid and abet a wicked person in doing evil”. To help a tyrant do evil. Literally, “Help King Zhou commit atrocities; abet Zhou in his tyranny”.
助纣为虐 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 助zhù
- 纣zhòu
- 为wéi
- 虐nüè
助纣为虐 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 助纣为虐
Origin and Story of 助纣为虐
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang led a large army to capture Xianyang, the capital. Qin Prince Ziying, seeing that the imperial power was lost, surrendered.
Upon entering Xianyang, Liu Bang was captivated by the magnificent Qin palace, filled with countless gold, silver treasures, and beautiful young women. He developed an intention to stay and enjoy these luxuries.
However, his general Fan Kuai and strategist Zhang Liang warned him, saying that indulging in such pleasures would be tantamount to 'helping King Zhou to commit atrocities' (助纣为虐), which would cause him to lose the hearts of the people. Taking their advice, Liu Bang then withdrew his troops to Baxia.
Idioms Related to 助纣为虐
Synonyms of 助纣为虐
Antonyms of 助纣为虐
More idioms starting with 助
Questions about 助纣为虐
- What does 助纣为虐 mean?
- 助纣为虐 (zhù zhòu wéi nüè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to aid and abet a wicked person in doing evil”.
- How do you pronounce 助纣为虐?
- 助纣为虐 is pronounced zhù zhòu wéi nüè in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 助纣为虐 literally mean?
- Literally, 助纣为虐 means “Help King Zhou commit atrocities; abet Zhou in his tyranny”. It is used to mean “to aid and abet a wicked person in doing evil”.
- Where does 助纣为虐 come from?
- 助纣为虐 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 助纣为虐?
- 比喻帮助坏人干坏事。