📖 Meaning
Originally referring to insects shedding their skin and transforming, this idiom metaphorically describes a person who degenerates morally and becomes corrupt. It implies a fundamental deterioration of character, often used to criticize officials or individuals who abandon their principles and turn bad.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom draws on the biological imagery of insects molting and changing form, a phenomenon observed in nature since ancient times. The metaphorical extension to human moral decay gained prominence in modern Chinese political discourse, particularly during the mid-twentieth century. It became a common term in Party and government criticism of cadres who had become ideologically corrupt. Unlike classical idioms with literary origins, this is a modern compound formed by combining '蜕化' (to molt/transform) and '变质' (to change in nature).
💡 Example Usage
少数干部经不起诱惑，蜕化变质，最终走上了犯罪道路。
A small number of officials, unable to resist temptation, degenerated and ultimately took the path of crime.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 蜕化变质
- Pinyin: tuì huà biàn zhì
- Literal Translation: molt, transform, change, nature
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4