📖 Meaning
Men become thieves and women become prostitutes. It describes a situation where both men and women engage in wicked or immoral behavior. Figuratively, it characterizes people who are thoroughly corrupt and degenerate in their thoughts and actions.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase appears in the writings of Lu Xun, a leading figure of modern Chinese literature, specifically in his essay collection '坟·论他妈的！' (On 'Their Mother's!'). Lu Xun used it to criticize hypocrites who preach virtues like benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom on the surface, while harboring thoroughly corrupt and immoral intentions in their hearts. The expression pairs two classic archetypes of social vice—male thievery and female prostitution—to emphasize the total moral bankruptcy of such individuals. It has since become a sharp, condemnatory idiom for describing extreme moral decay.
💡 Example Usage
他表面满口仁义道德，背地里却干尽男盗女娼的勾当。
He preaches virtue on the surface, but behind the scenes he engages in utterly despicable deeds.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 男盗女娼
- Pinyin: nán dào nǚ chāng
- Literal Translation: man, steal, woman, prostitute
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4