贪赃枉法 (tān zāng wǎng fǎ) — to take bribes and pervert justice (said of corrupt officials)

Definition

A formal chengyu describing corrupt officials who accept bribes and twist the law. Stronger and more literary than saying 收受贿赂 — it pairs both acts (bribery + perverting justice) as one offense.

idiom
to take bribes and pervert justice (said of corrupt officials)

Examples

  • 贪赃枉法。
    Zhè ge guān yuán yīn wèi tān zāng wǎng fǎ bèi kāi chú le.
    This official was expelled for taking bribes and perverting justice.
  • 贪赃枉法。
    tān zāng wǎng fǎ De xíng wéi yán zhòng sǔn hài le zhèng fǔ de xíng xiàng.
    The act of taking bribes and perverting justice severely damaged the government's image.
  • 贪赃枉法。
    Fǎ lǜ jué bù róng rěn tān zāng wǎng fǎ de guān yuán.
    The law absolutely will not tolerate officials who take bribes and pervert justice.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

贪赃take bribes
贪tāntake greedily赃zāngill-gotten goods
动宾Verb + object
枉法pervert the law
枉wǎngpervert法fǎlaw
动宾Verb + object

贪赃 (take bribes) + 枉法 (pervert the law) -> taking bribes and twisting justice.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貪; 贪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney
Sound part声符shēngfú
今
今jīn貪tān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貪 places 今 (open mouth) above 貝 (money); 今 gives the sound, and 貝 relates to the meaning. 贪 is the simplified shorthand.

Open 贪 →

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 贓; 赃 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèi
Sound part声符shēngfú
臧
臧zāng贓zāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 贓 uses 貝, the shell character, to show money, and 臧 to give the sound. The simplified 赃 is a shorthand; its right side is not the old sound part.

Open 赃 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 枉 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé法fǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Open 法 →

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