📖 Meaning
To persist in wrongdoing until the very end without any repentance, relying on one's power, protection, or stubbornness. It describes someone who refuses to change their evil ways despite having opportunities to reform, ultimately facing the consequences of their obstinacy.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Canon of Shun' in the Book of Documents (《书·舜典》), one of China's oldest classics, which states that inadvertent offenses may be pardoned, but those who cling to evil to the end shall face capital punishment. The Han dynasty commentator Kong Anguo elaborated that those who rely on their wickedness to the end deserve execution. Later, the Song dynasty scholar Luo Dajing referenced this phrase in his work 'Helin Yulu' (《鹤林玉露》), noting that a gentleman hopes others will abandon wrong for right, but when someone remains obstinately unrepentant, decisive action must be taken, as symbolized by the top line of the hexagram Guai (夬) in the I Ching. It also appears in chapter 97 of the classic novel 'Water Margin' (《水浒传》).
💡 Example Usage
此人怙终不悛，屡教不改，终将自食其果。
This person persists in wrongdoing without repentance, refuses to change despite repeated admonishment, and will eventually suffer the consequences of his own actions.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 怙终不悛
- Pinyin: hù zhōng bù quān
- Literal Translation: rely, to the end, not, repent
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4