歪门邪道 (wāi mén xié dào) — dishonest practices, devious means, crooked ways

Definition

A four-character idiom for dishonest or underhand methods — the opposite of 正道 ('the proper way'). Refers to how something is done, not what is done.

idiom

dishonest practicesdevious meanscrooked ways

歪门邪道，。
Tā kào wāi mén xié dào zhuàn qián, zuì hòu bèi zhuā le.
He made money through dishonest practices and was finally caught.
，歪门邪道。
Zuò shēng yi yào zǒu zhèng lù, bù néng gǎo wāi mén xié dào.
When doing business, you must take the right path; you can't engage in crooked ways.
，歪门邪道。
Kǎo shì kào de shì zhēn běn shì, bié xiǎng yòng wāi mén xié dào.
Exams depend on real ability — don't think about using dishonest methods.

Characters in this word

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

不正歪

歪 is written with 不 (not) above 正 (straight; proper), so the shape shows something that is not straight.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

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

邑邑yìtown; city

Sound part声符shēngfú

牙

牙yá邪xié

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

邪 puts 牙 beside 邑 (town; city): 牙 gives the sound, and 邑 shows it was first used in a place name. It was later used for strange or evil meanings.

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

行行xíngstreet

Sound part声符shēngfú

𩠐

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

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.