助纣为虐 (zhù zhòu wéi nüè) — to aid an evil person in doing evil; to be an accomplice in wicked deeds

Definition

Literary chengyu meaning 'to help a tyrant do evil' — i.e., to side with and assist a wicked person. Stronger and more formal than everyday words like 帮忙; implies shared guilt.

idiom
to aid an evil person in doing evilto be an accomplice in wicked deeds

Examples

  • ，助纣为虐。
    Tā míng zhī duì fāng shì huài rén, què hái zài zhù zhòu wéi nüè.
    He knew full well the other party was a bad person, yet he still helped them do evil.
  • 助纣为虐，。
    Nà xiē zhù zhòu wéi nüè de rén, zuì zhōng yě huì shòu dào chéng fá.
    Those who aid evildoers will eventually be punished as well.
  • 助纣为虐，。
    Lì shǐ shàng zhù zhòu wéi nüè de jiān chén, méi yǒu hǎo xià chǎng.
    In history, treacherous officials who aided tyrants came to no good end.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrong arm
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě助zhù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

助 pairs 力, a strong arm, with 且, which gives the sound; the meaning is help with strength.

Open 助 →

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 紂; 纣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
肘
肘zhǒu紂Zhòu
Same sound today

The traditional form 紂 pairs 糹 (silk) with 肘, which gives the sound; the simplified 纣 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Open 为 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An early form of 虐 showed 虎 (a tiger) and 人 (a person), like a tiger about to eat a person; this picture later came to mean cruel or tyrannical.

Open 虐 →

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