📖 Meaning
Originally meant that possessing a precious jade could bring disaster upon an innocent person, implying that wealth itself can be a cause of trouble. It later came to metaphorically describe someone who is persecuted out of jealousy because of their talent, beauty, or possession of something desirable. The idiom warns that having what others covet can make one a target.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), specifically the tenth year of Duke Huan of Lu (桓公十年). A commoner named Yu Shu (虞叔) owned a fine piece of jade that the ruler coveted. When asked to surrender it, Yu Shu initially complied but later regretted it, saying that an ordinary man is innocent until he harbors a treasure—'匹夫无罪，怀璧其罪.' The phrase illustrates how possessing something valuable can itself become a crime in the eyes of the powerful.
💡 Example Usage
他才华出众却遭同事排挤，真可谓怀璧其罪。
He was ostracized by colleagues for his outstanding talent—a true case of harboring jade and thus incurring guilt.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 怀璧其罪
- Pinyin: huái bì qí zuì
- Literal Translation: 怀, harbor, carry, 璧, jade, 其, its, 罪, crime, guilt
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4