lit. helping tyrant Zhou 商紂王|商纣王[Shang1 Zhou4 wang2] in his oppression (idiom); fig. to take the side of the evildoer; giving succor to the enemy
trad. 助紂為虐
Also written 助紂為虐【zhù Zhòu wéi nüè】
Characters in this word
4助
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
to help, to assist
- Pinyin
- zhù
- Strokes
- 7
- Frequency
- 12627 of 2500
纣
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
Zhou, pejorative name given posthumously to the last king of the Shang dynasty, King Zhou of Shang 商紂王|商纣王[Shang1 Zhou4 Wang2] (the name refers to a crupper 紂|纣[zhou4], the piece of horse tack most likely to be soiled by the horse)
- Pinyin
- Zhòu
- Traditional
- 紂
- Strokes
- 6
为
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
as (in the capacity of), to take sth as, to act as, to serve as, to behave as, to become, to be, to do, by (in the passive voice)
- Pinyin
- wéi
- Traditional
- 為
- Strokes
- 4
- Frequency
- 129 of 2500
虐
Strokes: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0
(bound form) brutal; oppressive; harsh, (literary) disaster; catastrophe
- Pinyin
- nüè
- Strokes
- 9
- Frequency
- 45002 of 2500