执迷不悟 (zhí mí bù wù) — to stubbornly persist in error; to be obstinately unrepentant

Definition

A written idiom meaning to stubbornly cling to a wrong belief or course of action despite clear evidence or advice. It is far stronger and more literary than everyday words like 固执.

idiom
to stubbornly persist in errorto be obstinately unrepentant

Examples

  • 执迷不悟，，。
    Tā zhí mí bù wù, bù kěn jiē shòu zhì liáo, bìng qíng yuè lái yuè yán zhòng.
    He stubbornly persisted in his error and refused treatment, so his condition got worse and worse.
  • 执迷不悟，。
    Rú guǒ nǐ zài zhè me zhí mí bù wù, gōng sī chí zǎo huì kāi chú nǐ.
    If you keep being so obstinately foolish, the company will fire you sooner or later.
  • ，执迷不悟，。
    Péng you quàn tā fàng shǒu, kě tā hái shì zhí mí bù wù, jì xù tóu zī nà ge piàn jú.
    His friends advised him to let go, but he still persisted in his error and kept investing in that scam.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 執; 执 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔criminal / handcuffs
  • 丮丮jǐhand

The traditional form 執 shows 㚔, a handcuffed criminal, with 丮, a hand, giving the idea of arrest. The simplified 执 is a later shorthand, so its current parts are not the original pieces.

Open 执 →

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
米
米mǐ迷mí
Same sound today

迷 uses 辵, the walking part, and 米, which gives the sound.

Open 迷 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú悟
Same sound today

悟 is made from 忄, a side form of 心, and 吾, which supplies the sound.

Open 悟 →

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