📖 Meaning
To break the law and disrupt discipline or established order. It describes the act of undermining legal and moral standards, typically by those in power who should instead uphold them. The phrase condemns behavior that destroys the very rules meant to govern society.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom appears in the Rites of Zhou-era text compiled by the Western Han scholar Dai Sheng in his Book of Rites (《礼记·礼运》). The passage states that when the Son of Heaven visits a feudal lord, if he takes up residence in the ancestral temple instead of entering according to proper ritual protocol, this is called the Son of Heaven breaking the law and disrupting discipline (坏法乱纪). The line illustrates how even the supreme ruler, by disregarding established rites, corrupts the legal and social order he is meant to protect. Over time the phrase came to be applied to anyone who destroys laws and discipline.
💡 Example Usage
为官者若坏法乱纪，必将受到法律严惩。
Officials who break the law and disrupt discipline will surely face severe legal punishment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 坏法乱纪
- Pinyin: huài fǎ luàn jì
- Literal Translation: break, law, disorder, discipline
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4