📖 Meaning
To slander someone with malicious words and thereby harm a good or capable person. The idiom describes the act of vilifying worthy individuals to bring them down, typically out of jealousy or political calculation.
📜 Origin Story
This is a descriptive compound idiom rather than one tied to a single canonical story. It reflects a recurring theme in Chinese historical writing, where court officials would whisper false accusations to emperors in order to destroy capable rivals or upright ministers. Such incidents appear throughout the dynastic histories, often ending with the loyal minister's dismissal or execution. The phrase thus crystallizes a familiar pattern of palace intrigue condemned by Confucian moralists.
💡 Example Usage
他在朝中进谗害贤，令许多忠臣含冤受屈。
He spread slander in the court to harm worthy officials, causing many loyal subjects to suffer unjustly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 进谗害贤
- Pinyin: jìn chán hài xián
- Literal Translation: present, slander, harm, virtuous
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4