📖 Meaning
This idiom means to encourage people toward virtuous behavior while cautioning them against wrongdoing. It is synonymous with 劝善惩恶 and reflects the moral principle of guiding society by rewarding goodness and deterring vice.
📜 Origin Story
劝善戒恶 is a variant of the more common idiom 劝善惩恶 (quàn shàn chéng è), which appears in classical Chinese moral and legal texts advocating the dual approach of promoting virtue and punishing vice. While no single definitive origin text is recorded for this specific variant, the concept is deeply rooted in Confucian and Legalist traditions dating back to the Warring States period. Early works such as the Zuo Zhuan (左传) and Han Feizi (韩非子) articulate the principle that rulers must both reward the good and punish the wicked to maintain social order.
💡 Example Usage
为政者当劝善戒恶，方能教化一方百姓。
Those who govern should encourage good and warn against evil, only then can they educate and transform the people under their care.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 劝善戒恶
- Pinyin: quàn shàn jiè è
- Literal Translation: advise good, warn against evil
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4