📖 Meaning
This idiom describes officials who engage in corruption, bribery, and misconduct, resulting in a thoroughly ruined reputation. It paints a picture of stolen wealth piled up in disorder like trampled weeds, symbolizing the sordid state of a corrupt official's affairs.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Records of the Three Kingdoms' (三国志), specifically in the Biography of Emperor Wu of Wei (魏志·武帝纪). It describes how local officials frequently attached themselves to powerful nobles and imperial relatives, engaging in rampant corruption and bribery. The term '狼藉' evokes the image of weeds scattered and trampled in disarray, metaphorically representing the messy and shameful state of their illicit gains. The idiom has since been used to denounce corrupt officials throughout Chinese history.
💡 Example Usage
那贪官赃污狼藉，终被朝廷革职查办。
That corrupt official, steeped in bribery and disgraced reputation, was finally dismissed and investigated by the court.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 赃污狼藉
- Pinyin: zāng wū láng jí
- Literal Translation: stolen goods, filthy, scattered like weeds
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4