📖 Meaning
To persist in evil intentions or criminal schemes, refusing to give up one's wicked designs despite warnings or consequences. It describes someone whose bad nature remains unchanged, continually plotting or committing misdeeds without remorse.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom has no definitive classical literary source. It emerged from vernacular Chinese, combining '贼' (thief or evildoer) with '心不死' (the heart does not die) to form a vivid metaphor. The phrase likens a person's stubborn attachment to evil intentions to a heart that refuses to perish. It became widely used in colloquial speech and modern literature to condemn recidivists and unrepentant wrongdoers.
💡 Example Usage
他被罚过多次，却贼心不死，仍然偷窃。
He has been punished many times, yet his thieving heart refuses to die, and he still steals.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 贼心不死
- Pinyin: zéi xīn bù sǐ
- Literal Translation: thief, heart, not, die
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4