📖 Meaning
To shift blame onto others; to attribute one's own mistakes or faults to someone else. It describes the behavior of deflecting responsibility rather than owning up to one's errors.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not trace back to a specific classical text or historical anecdote. It is a later compound formed from '委过' (to shift fault) and '于人' (onto others), conveying the concept of scapegoating. The underlying moral idea—that one should take personal responsibility rather than blame others—has deep roots in Confucian ethics, appearing in works such as the Analects where self-reflection is praised. The phrasing itself became common in vernacular and literary Chinese over time as a concise expression for blame-shifting.
💡 Example Usage
出了问题就委过于人，这种做法只会让团队失去信任。
Shifting blame onto others whenever problems arise will only cause the team to lose trust.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 委过于人
- Pinyin: wěi guò yú rén
- Literal Translation: shift, fault, onto, others
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4