📖 Meaning
To help a wicked person commit evil deeds. Jie (桀) was the notorious last king of the Xia dynasty, remembered as a cruel tyrant. The idiom metaphorically describes assisting villains in their wrongdoing.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom references Jie (桀), the final ruler of the Xia dynasty (夏朝), who was historically remembered as an exceptionally cruel and tyrannical king. The phrase gained literary currency through Zou Taofen's essay 'Letters from the Mailbox' (《信箱期望》), where he argued that mere survival obtained by compromising one's principles and aiding evildoers is tantamount to a living death. It is a variant of the more widely used idiom 助纣为虐, which substitutes Jie with Zhou (纣), the infamous last king of the Shang dynasty. Both expressions employ the names of legendary tyrants to symbolize those who abuse power and do harm.
💡 Example Usage
他明知对方是骗子，却仍替其销赃，简直是助桀为恶。
He knew full well the other party was a swindler, yet he still helped fence the stolen goods—it was sheer aiding and abetting evil.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 助桀为恶
- Pinyin: zhù jié wéi è
- Literal Translation: help, Jie (tyrant), do, evil
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4