# 恶贯满盈

è guàn mǎn yíng

Accumulate an appalling record of wrongdoing

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** The string of evil is completely full

**Traditional Chinese:** 惡貫滿盈

**Register:** Severe · literary

[People & connection](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/relationships)

## When to use it

Condemn persistent, extreme wrongdoing.

A severe moral label, not a casual insult.

## Understanding the expression

Wrongdoing is imagined as filling a measure or accumulating along a string until no more can be added. The expression condemns an extensive record of serious harm rather than one minor offense. It often appears when a villain finally faces consequences in a story. In real accounts, established repeated conduct should justify the severity. The phrase expresses moral outrage, but that outrage does not replace careful evidence or fair procedures for determining responsibility.

## Examples

小说中的恶霸恶贯满盈，终于被捕。

### Traditional Chinese

小說中的惡霸惡貫滿盈，終於被捕。

xiǎo shuō zhōng de è bà è guàn mǎn yíng ， zhōng yú bèi bǔ 。

The novel's brutal villain is finally arrested.

受害者指控那伙人恶贯满盈。

### Traditional Chinese

受害者指控那夥人惡貫滿盈。

shòu hài zhě zhǐ kòng nà huǒ rén è guàn mǎn yíng 。

Victims accuse the group of extensive wrongdoing.

他多年作恶，被形容为恶贯满盈。

### Traditional Chinese

他多年作惡，被形容為惡貫滿盈。

tā duō nián zuò è ， bèi xíng róng wèi è guàn mǎn yíng 。

Years of wrongdoing earned him severe condemnation.

不能为小事就说人恶贯满盈。

### Traditional Chinese

不能為小事就說人惡貫滿盈。

bù néng wèi xiǎo shì jiù shuō rén è guàn mǎn yíng 。

A small matter does not justify such condemnation.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E6%83%A1%E8%B2%AB%E6%BB%BF%E7%9B%88)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=686&webMd=1&la=0)

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