天网恢恢 (tiān wǎng huī huī) — justice will eventually catch up with wrongdoers; the net of heaven stretches wide and nothing escapes

Definition

Idiom from 天网恢恢，疏而不漏: 'heaven's net is vast but never lets anything slip through' — used to reassure that wrongdoers will eventually be caught.

idiom
justice will eventually catch up with wrongdoersthe net of heaven stretches wide and nothing escapes

Examples

  • 天网恢恢，。
    tiān wǎng huī huī, Zuì fàn zhōng yú luò wǎng le.
    Justice has a long arm — the criminal finally got caught.
  • ，天网恢恢，。
    Bié yǐ wéi zuò le huài shì méi rén zhī dào, tiān wǎng huī huī, bào yìng chí zǎo huì lái.
    Don't think nobody knows when you do bad things — heaven's net is vast, and retribution will come sooner or later.
  • ，天网恢恢，。
    Fǎ lǜ bú huì fàng guò rèn hé yí gè zuò è zhě, tiān wǎng huī huī, shū ér bú lòu.
    The law will not let any evildoer off — heaven's net is vast and wide-meshed, but nothing slips through.

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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 網; 网 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
罔
罔wǎng網wǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 網 pairs 糸 (rope) with 罔 to give the sound; the simplified 网 is a later shorthand.

Open 网 →

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xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
灰
灰huī恢huī
Same sound today

The left part 忄 is the heart radical, written 心 when standing alone, and the right part 灰 gives the sound.

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xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
灰
灰huī恢huī
Same sound today

The left part 忄 is the heart radical, written 心 when standing alone, and the right part 灰 gives the sound.

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