📖 Meaning
Merit and virtue so great they cannot be measured. Historically used to describe immense contributions and blessings; now commonly used to praise someone for doing great good deeds or acts of charity.
📜 Origin Story
From the Book of Han (《汉书·丙吉传》), Biography of Bing Ji. Bing Ji was a Han dynasty official who, during the reign of Emperor Wu, protected and cared for the infant great-grandson of the deposed Crown Prince Liu Ju—later Emperor Xuan—who had been imprisoned. The text states that by safeguarding the imperial spirit and raising the future sage emperor, Bing Ji's merit was already immeasurable (功德已无量矣). The idiom later came to praise any act of extraordinary goodness or beneficence.
💡 Example Usage
他捐资修建了十所希望小学，真是功德无量。
He donated funds to build ten Hope primary schools—truly an act of immeasurable merit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 功德无量
- Pinyin: gōng dé wú liàng
- Literal Translation: merit, virtue, immeasurable
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4