📖 Meaning
To shift the blame for a fault or crime onto someone else. It describes a person who refuses to accept responsibility for their own wrongdoing and instead accuses others of being at fault. The phrase carries a clear moral condemnation of such evasive behavior.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not derive from a single classical text or specific historical anecdote, but is built from ordinary classical Chinese phrasing. In it, 委 means 'to shift or attribute,' 罪 means 'guilt or offense,' 于 means 'to' or 'upon,' and 人 means 'others.' The construction reflects a recurring moral theme in Chinese philosophical and historical writings, which consistently warn against deflecting responsibility. It is closely related to expressions such as 诿过于人 and 归咎于人 found throughout classical literature.
💡 Example Usage
出了问题就委罪于人，绝不是领导者该有的态度。
When problems arise, shifting the blame onto others is no attitude a leader should ever adopt.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 委罪于人
- Pinyin: wěi zuì yú rén
- Literal Translation: shift, blame, upon, others
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4