📖 Meaning
To make virtue known and illustrious while putting an end to wrongdoing and corrupt practices. The phrase describes the duty of a leader to promote moral excellence and suppress evil, thereby guiding others by example.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuozhuan (左传), in the section covering the second year of Duke Huan of Lu (708 BCE). The text states that a ruler should manifest virtue and block wrongdoing in order to oversee all officials. The Tang dynasty scholar Kong Yingda (孔颖达) explained in his subcommentary that '昭德' means to make good virtue increasingly illustrious and widely known, while '塞违' means to block evil violations so that disobedience ceases. Together the phrase encapsulates the Confucian ideal of governance through moral example.
💡 Example Usage
政府表彰清廉官员，意在昭德塞违，端正社会风气。
The government commends honest officials, intending to manifest virtue and block wrongdoing, thereby rectifying social conduct.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 昭德塞违
- Pinyin: zhāo dé sè wéi
- Literal Translation: manifest virtue, block wrongdoing
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4