不择手段 (bù zé shǒu duàn) — (idiom) by any means necessary, by hook or by c…

Definition

A negative idiom: achieving a goal through any means, regardless of ethics. Often pairs with 地 to modify a verb, as in 不择手段地做某事.

idiom

by any means necessaryby hook or by crook (with negative connotation)

，不择手段，。
Wèi le yíng, tā bù zé shǒu duàn, shèn zhì bù xī shāng hài péng you.
To win, he stops at nothing, even hurting his friends.
不择手段。
Zhè jiā gōng sī bù zé shǒu duàn dì dǎ yā jìng zhēng duì shǒu.
This company uses every dirty trick to suppress its competitors.
不择手段，。
Tā wèi le shēng zhí bù zé shǒu duàn, zuì hòu shī qù le dà jiā de xìn rèn.
He would do anything for a promotion, and in the end he lost everyone's trust.

Characters in this word

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.

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 擇; 择 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

睪

睪yì擇zé

Same sound today

The traditional form 擇 has 手 (hand) for the meaning and 睪 for the sound; the simplified 择 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not historical.

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

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

殳殳shū

Sound part声符shēngfú

厂

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

段's shape shows 殳 as a hammer breaking a stone, with fragments flying off.

Appears in