📖 Meaning
Refers to acting in a tyrannical and violent manner, doing whatever one pleases without any restraint. It describes a person who is despotic, overbearing, and completely unchecked in their abuse of power.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of '跋扈自恣' (bá hù zì zì). The term '跋扈' originally described someone domineering and uncontrollable, famously applied to the Eastern Han Dynasty warlord Liang Ji (梁冀), who wielded such immense power that he could depose emperors at will. '恣睢' adds the dimension of reckless self-indulgence and treating others with contempt. The combined phrase came to epitomize the unchecked tyranny of corrupt officials and warlords throughout Chinese history.
💡 Example Usage
这个权臣跋扈恣睢，朝中无人敢与之抗衡。
This powerful minister was tyrannical and unrestrained, and no one at court dared to oppose him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 跋扈恣睢
- Pinyin: bá hù zì suī
- Literal Translation: domineering, arrogant, unrestrained, reckless
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4