# 秋毫无犯

qiū háo wú fàn

Respect people and property without causing the slightest harm

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Not violate even an autumn hair

**Traditional Chinese:** 秋毫無犯

**Register:** Formal · literary

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

## When to use it

Praise strict discipline and restraint, especially among troops.

Primarily about conduct, not general precision.

## Understanding the expression

An autumn hair supplies an image of something extremely small, so leaving it untouched means avoiding even the slightest offense. The expression praises exceptional restraint toward people and their possessions. It can describe a group borrowing a room or visiting a place while carefully respecting everything there. The central virtue is considerate conduct, not simply an absence of mistakes. A calculation with no errors would need a different expression, because the focus here is on how people treat what belongs to others.

## Examples

志愿者借用教室后秋毫无犯，还把物品摆回原处。

### Traditional Chinese

志願者借用教室後秋毫無犯，還把物品擺回原處。

zhì yuàn zhě jiè yòng jiào shì hòu qiū háo wú fàn ， hái bǎ wù pǐn bǎi huí yuán chù 。

The volunteers treated the borrowed classroom scrupulously and put everything back.

参观者对展品秋毫无犯，十分爱惜。

### Traditional Chinese

參觀者對展品秋毫無犯，十分愛惜。

cān guān zhě duì zhǎn pǐn qiū háo wú fàn ， shí fēn ài xī 。

The visitors took care not to disturb or damage any exhibits.

负责人要求大家对借来的物品秋毫无犯。

### Traditional Chinese

負責人要求大家對借來的物品秋毫無犯。

fù zé rén yāo qiú dà jiā duì jiè lái de wù pǐn qiū háo wú fàn 。

The organizer required everyone to treat the borrowed items scrupulously.

他们离开时秋毫无犯，场地保持原样。

### Traditional Chinese

他們離開時秋毫無犯，場地保持原樣。

tā men lí kāi shí qiū háo wú fàn ， chǎng dì bǎo chí yuán yàng 。

They left without disturbing anything, keeping the venue as it had been.

## 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=%E7%A7%8B%E6%AF%AB%E7%84%A1%E7%8A%AF)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=759&webMd=1&la=0)

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