📖 Meaning
Describes evil people joining forces and aiding one another in wrongdoing. It is a written variant of the more common idiom 同恶相济, in which the character 敝 (wicked, bad) stands in for 恶 (evil) with the same sense of villains colluding to commit misdeeds together.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom has no recorded origin story in classical sources; dictionaries simply define it as equivalent to 同恶相济 (same as the wicked abetting one another). The standard form 同恶相济 is attested in classical historical writings, where it was used to describe conspirators or corrupt officials who supported each other in treason and crime. 同敝相济 arose as a less common written variant that substitutes 敝 for 恶 while preserving the identical meaning, so no specific dynasty or historical figure can be credited with coining it.
💡 Example Usage
这几个奸商同敝相济，哄抬物价，坑害百姓。
These unscrupulous merchants abetted one another in driving up prices and swindling the common people.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 同敝相济
- Pinyin: tóng bì xiāng jì
- Literal Translation: together, wicked, mutually, aid
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4