📖 Meaning
To remain completely unashamed and at ease despite having done something disgraceful. It describes a person who has lost all sense of moral conscience and feels no remorse for their wrongdoing, behaving as if nothing were wrong.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a passage in Yan Ermei's Qing dynasty essay 'On Fang Guan.' The Tang dynasty official Fang Guan suffered a military defeat and, by military law, should have been executed for dereliction of duty. Instead, he was merely dismissed from his post — a lenient punishment that was already illegal. Yet Fang Guan showed no shame whatsoever, continuing to entertain guests at his home as if nothing had happened. Yan Ermei used the phrase to condemn Fang Guan's utter lack of conscience.
💡 Example Usage
他剽窃他人作品被揭发后，不仅不道歉，还恬不知愧地继续出席各种活动。
After being exposed for plagiarizing others' work, not only did he not apologize, but he shamelessly continued to attend various events as if nothing had happened.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 恬不知愧
- Pinyin: tián bù zhī kuì
- Literal Translation: calmly, not, know, shame
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4