📖 Meaning
Describes someone who is corrupt and takes bribes, whose misconduct is flagrant and reputation thoroughly ruined. It typically refers to officials who abuse power for personal gain, leaving behind a trail of disgraceful and widely known corruption.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the Ming Dynasty vernacular story collection Stories Old and New (古今小说), in the tale 'Shen Xiaoxiang Meets the Memorial to the Emperor' (沈小霞相会出师表). The story is set against the backdrop of the corrupt Ming Dynasty grand secretary Yan Song (严嵩) and his faction. The passage describes how upon arriving in the capital and witnessing the rampant corruption and disgraceful conduct of the Yan household, the protagonist is filled with great anger.
💡 Example Usage
这个贪官在任期间赃秽狼藉，被弹劾后终于落马。
During his tenure this corrupt official was flagrantly guilty of graft and bribery, and was finally brought down after being impeached.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 赃秽狼藉
- Pinyin: zāng huì láng jí
- Literal Translation: stolen goods, filthy, scattered in disorder
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4