📖 Meaning
Evil cannot prevail against righteousness. It expresses the belief that wicked or deceptive forces can never overcome upright, just ones. Righteousness ultimately triumphs over evil.
📜 Origin Story
This idium is a variant of the earlier expression 邪不犯正 (xié bù fàn zhèng), meaning that evil cannot violate or overcome righteousness. It draws on the ancient Chinese philosophical idea that upright vital energy (正气) inherently surpasses demonic or wicked influences (邪气). The concept appears throughout classical Chinese thought, including Daoist and Confucian writings on moral cosmic order. No single literary source is credited as its definitive origin.
💡 Example Usage
邪不敌正，再阴险的诡计也压不倒浩然正气。
Evil cannot prevail against righteousness; no matter how sinister the scheme, it can never overpower a noble and upright spirit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 邪不敌正
- Pinyin: xié bù dí zhèng
- Literal Translation: evil, not, match, righteousness
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4