CHENGYU
大义灭亲(dà yì miè qīn)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal, approving
- Source:
- 《左传·隐公四年》
MEANING
- Literal
- to punish kin for the greater justice
- Figurative meaning
- to put justice above family ties
ORIGIN STORY
When a duke's son plotted rebellion, the loyal minister Shi Que denounced his own son, who had joined the plot. The chronicler of the Zuo Tradition praised him: "To uphold great justice at the cost of kin — is that not this?"
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to put principle before blood”
EXAMPLES
老所长把犯罪的儿子送进监狱，真是大义灭亲。Lǎo suǒzhǎng bǎ fànzuì de érzi sòng jìn jiānyù, zhēn shì dà yì miè qīn.HSK6
The old officer sent his own criminal son to prison — justice above kin.
大义灭亲需要很大的勇气。Dà yì miè qīn xūyào hěn dà de yǒngqì.HSK6
Putting justice above family takes great courage.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is serious praise for punishing one's own kin for real crimes — not for petty family quarrels.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01