刚正不阿 (gāng zhèng bù ē) — upright and unyielding; refusing to flatter or compromise

Definition

A formal, written idiom praising someone who is morally upright and refuses to flatter those in power — stronger than simply 'honest' and reserved for principled conduct under pressure.

idiom
upright and unyieldingrefusing to flatter or compromise

Examples

  • 刚正不阿，。
    Zhè wèi qīng guān yì shēng gāng zhèng bù ē, shēn shòu bǎi xìng ài dài.
    This honest official was upright and unyielding all his life, deeply loved by the people.
  • 刚正不阿，。
    Tā wèi rén gāng zhèng bù ē, cóng bú xiàng quán guì dī tóu.
    He is an upright person who never bows to the powerful.
  • 刚正不阿。
    gāng zhèng bù ē De pǐn gé zài rèn hé shí dài dōu zhí dé zūn jìng.
    The quality of being upright and unyielding deserves respect in any era.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

刚正firm and upright
刚gāngfirm正zhèngupright
联合Side by side
不阿not flattering
不bùnot阿āflatter
偏正Modifier + head

刚 and 正 give firm uprightness, while 不 and 阿 say no flattery.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 剛; 刚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 剛 was made by combining a picture-like sign with a sign that gave its sound; the simplified 刚 is a later shorthand.

Open 刚 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng正zhèng
Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

Open 正 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě阿ā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The part 阜 points to a mound, and 可 gives the pronunciation; 阿 originally meant a big mound.

Open 阿 →

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