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既往不咎 (jì wǎng bù jiù) — to let bygones be bygones; to forgive past misdeeds

Definition

A formal idiom meaning 'let bygones be bygones' — past mistakes are not held against someone. Used in official, historical, or weighty contexts, far more formal than the everyday 原谅.

idiom
to let bygones be bygonesto forgive past misdeeds

Examples

  • ，既往不咎。
    Jì rán tā dào qiàn le, wǒ men jiù jì wǎng bù jiù ba.
    Since he apologized, let's let bygones be bygones.
  • 既往不咎。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi duì lì shǐ wèn tí jì wǎng bù jiù.
    We should let bygones be bygones regarding historical issues.
  • 既往不咎，。
    Gōng sī jué dìng jì wǎng bù jiù, bú zài zhuī jiū tā de zé rèn.
    The company decided to let bygones be bygones and not pursue his responsibility further.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

既往already past
既jìalready往wǎnggone
偏正Modifier + head
不咎not blame
不bùnot咎jiùblame
偏正Modifier + head

既往 means what has already gone, and 不咎 means not blame; together past faults are not held against someone.

Characters in this word

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

  • 皀皀jíbowl of rice
  • 旡旡jìkneeling figure

既 combines 皀, a bowl of rice, with 旡, a kneeling figure: a person kneeling at the bowl, having finished eating.

Open 既 →

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zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
王
王wáng往wǎng
Same sound today

The form that became 往 paired 止, a foot, with 王 for the sound; a stepping part was later added, and the right side changed.

Open 往 →

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 →

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

The old form paired 人 (person) with 夊 (foot); 口 (mouth) was later added to make 咎.

Open 咎 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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