📖 Meaning
To punish wrongdoing and encourage virtuous behavior. The idiom advocates penalizing the wicked while rewarding and promoting the good, serving as a moral principle for governance and social order.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), a foundational historical text of the Spring and Autumn period. In the passage from the fourteenth year of Duke Cheng, the text describes how the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋) conveys its meaning subtly yet clearly, recording events concisely while conveying profound lessons. It states that the work punishes evil and encourages good, something only a sage could accomplish. The phrase thus elevates moral instruction through historical record-keeping as a hallmark of sage wisdom.
💡 Example Usage
古代法律的设计初衷之一便是惩恶劝善，维护社会的公平正义。
One of the original purposes of ancient law was to punish wrongdoing and encourage virtue, upholding fairness and justice in society.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 惩恶劝善
- Pinyin: chéng è quàn shàn
- Literal Translation: punish, evil, encourage, good
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4