📖 Meaning
To condemn and denounce someone or something both verbally and in writing. It implies a thorough, public exposure and criticism of wrongdoing from all angles—through speech and through the written word.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Song dynasty scholar Chen Liang, who in his essay 'Wei Xiu yu Junzi' wrote of the shame a man should feel if he fails to walk the right path and thus invites verbal and written condemnation even among humble households. The two key verbs, 诛 (to condemn) and 伐 (to attack or denounce), convey a forceful moral campaign. Over the centuries the idiom came to describe the collective outcry—spoken and written—against villainy and injustice.
💡 Example Usage
面对官员的贪腐行为，民众纷纷口诛笔伐，要求严惩不贷。
Faced with the official's corruption, the public condemned him in both speech and writing, demanding severe punishment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 口诛笔伐
- Pinyin: kǒu zhū bǐ fá
- Literal Translation: mouth, condemn, pen, attack
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4