📖 Meaning
To persist in doing evil and stubbornly refuse to repent or reform. It describes someone who clings to wicked behavior despite repeated warnings or opportunities to change. The phrase conveys strong moral condemnation of an unrepentant wrongdoer.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传·隐公六年), a foundational Spring and Autumn period historical text. The original phrasing was '长恶不悛，从自及也'—meaning that one who lets evil grow without reforming will bring disaster upon himself. Over time the standard form became '怙恶不悛', pairing 怙 (to rely on, to cling to) with 恶 (evil) and 不悛 (unrepentant). The Song Dynasty historian's biography of Wang Huaji (《宋史·王化基传》) cited it to warn against appointing such unrepentant figures to distant governing posts.
💡 Example Usage
他怙恶不悛，多次犯罪仍不肯悔改，最终被重判入狱。
Persisting in evil and refusing to repent, he committed crimes repeatedly and showed no remorse, ultimately receiving a heavy prison sentence.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 怙恶不悛
- Pinyin: hù è bù quān
- Literal Translation: rely on, evil, not, repent
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4