📖 Meaning
To recklessly stir up conflict out of greed for personal glory or credit. This idiom describes a person who, driven by self-interest and a craving for recognition, deliberately provokes disputes or hostilities, often at the expense of broader peace and stability.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom "贪功起衅" does not trace to a single classical text or historical figure. It emerged from the broader Chinese historiographical tradition, where official historians frequently condemned generals and officials who initiated unnecessary military campaigns to pad their own records. The term reflects a deep-seated Confucian critique of ambition untempered by moral restraint — a recurring theme in dynastic chronicles from the Han through the Qing. Though no definitive source is cited, the expression crystallizes a well-worn pattern in Chinese political thought: the warning against those who would trade the common good for personal advancement.
💡 Example Usage
他贪功起衅，导致两国边境冲突不断。
Driven by greed for glory, he provoked conflicts, leading to unending border clashes between the two countries.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 贪功起衅
- Pinyin: tān gōng qǐ xìn
- Literal Translation: covet, merit, provoke, dispute
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4