📖 Meaning
The idiom describes someone who makes arbitrary judgments based purely on subjective opinion and then imposes them on others through force of power or position. It combines '武断' (making willful, unfounded judgments) with '专横' (being dictatorial and overbearing), conveying a pattern of acting tyrannically without listening to reason or counsel.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom has no single literary origin; it is a later compound formed by joining two established terms: '武断,' which appears in classical texts such as the Shiji to describe judging matters by force or whim rather than evidence, and '专横,' meaning to monopolize power and behave despotically. The compound came into common use in modern Chinese to criticize rulers, officials, or superiors who combine arbitrary decision-making with authoritarian conduct. It is frequently used in historical and political commentary to describe autocratic governance or domineering behavior in any hierarchy.
💡 Example Usage
他当了经理后武断专横，听不进任何下属的意见。
After becoming manager, he became arbitrary and dictatorial, refusing to listen to any suggestion from his staff.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 武断专横
- Pinyin: wǔ duàn zhuān héng
- Literal Translation: martial, judge, exclusive, tyrannical
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4