📖 Meaning
To slander and attack others using vicious, malicious language. It refers to employing hateful words to defame or frame someone, causing them emotional or reputational harm.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces to the Song Dynasty text 'Wudeng Huiyuan' (Compendium of Five Lamps) compiled by the monk Shi Puji, recording the teachings of Hongzhou Fachang's Chan Master Yiyu. The original couplet reads: 'A sharp knife cuts flesh and the wound still heals, but vicious words harm people and the hatred never fades.' It conveys that verbal attacks can inflict lasting damage beyond physical wounds.
💡 Example Usage
他在背后恶语中伤同事，最终被大家孤立了。
He slandered his colleagues behind their backs with vicious words, and was eventually ostracized by everyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 恶语中伤
- Pinyin: è yǔ zhòng shāng
- Literal Translation: vicious, words, strike, injure
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4