📖 Meaning
This idiom refers to an unexpected and unprovoked calamity that strikes without cause or warning. It describes disasters that fall upon someone seemingly out of nowhere, with no apparent reason. The phrase emphasizes the sudden and unjust nature of such misfortune.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Yuan dynasty dramatist Zhang Guobin's play 'He Han Shan' (The Sweat Shirt), in its third act. The story involves a family that suffers ruin after the patriarch once took in a disreputable man as a sworn brother. This villain eventually brings destruction upon the entire household, illustrating how a single poor judgment can lead to calamity. The idiom also appears in Qin Jianfu's Yuan drama 'Zhao Li Rang Fei' (Zhao Li Yields the Fat), where a character laments being struck by sudden, inexplicable disaster.
💡 Example Usage
他平生行善积德，却遭这场横祸非灾，实在令人扼腕。
He had lived a life of virtue and good deeds, yet suffered this sudden, unprovoked calamity—truly heartbreaking.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 横祸非灾
- Pinyin: hèng huò fēi zāi
- Literal Translation: unexpected disaster, unprovoked calamity
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4