📖 Meaning
An ordinary person is without guilt or crime. The idiom often appears alongside '怀璧其罪' to convey that while a commoner is innocent, possessing something valuable can make them a target. It reflects the harsh reality that innocence alone offers no protection when one holds something coveted.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Zuo Zhuan' (左传·桓公十年), a historical chronicle from the Spring and Autumn period. In the tenth year of Duke Huan of Lu (702 BC), Yu Shu (虞叔), a minor nobleman, owned a fine piece of jade. The Duke of Yu demanded it, and though Yu Shu reluctantly surrendered it, the duke kept requesting more. The saying arose that while an ordinary person is guiltless, harboring a treasure is itself a crime, illustrating how possessing valuables invites misfortune upon the innocent.
💡 Example Usage
匹夫无罪，他本与世无争，却因家传宝物招来横祸。
An ordinary man is guiltless—he lived peacefully, yet his family heirloom brought him unexpected disaster.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 匹夫无罪
- Pinyin: pǐ fū wú zuì
- Literal Translation: common man, no, guilt
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4