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不择手段

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: bù zé shǒu duàn
  • English Translation: By any means necessary (unscrupulous)
  • Idiom Composition: 「不」（Not or no (negation)）＋「择」（To choose or select）＋「手」（Hand (referring to a technique or skill in this context)）＋「段」（Step or section (referring to a procedure or method in this context)）
  • Meaning: To use any method, including immoral, illegal, or dishonest ones, to achieve a goal. It is a strongly derogatory term used to criticize a lack of ethics or a 'the end justifies the means' mentality.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「不择手段」 contains the following nuances:

  • Lack of Morality: The core of this idiom is the willingness to use betrayal, lies, or violence. It does not mean 'working hard' or 'being resourceful' in a positive sense.
  • Results-Only Mentality: It refers to an attitude where the final goal is the only thing that matters, completely disregarding the ethics of the process.

3. Usage

「不择手段」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Describing Villains or Criminals: Commonly used in literature, movies, or news to criticize individuals who sacrifice others for their own gain.
    • Example:「为了夺取公司的控制权，他不择手段地陷害竞争对手。」
      （To seize control of the company, he resorted to unscrupulous tactics to frame his rivals.)
  • Political or Competitive Conflict: Used to accuse an opponent of using 'dirty' tricks or cheating during an election or intense business competition.
    • Example:「有些政客为了赢得选票，简直是不择手段。」
      （Some politicians will do anything, no matter how dirty, just to win votes.)
  • Warnings and Moral Lessons: Used as a cautionary phrase to remind others that success should not come at the cost of one's integrity.
    • Example:「我们追求成功，但绝不能不择手段。」
      （We pursue success, but we must never stoop to unscrupulous means.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 那个犯罪团伙为了敛财不择手段，甚至伤害无辜。
    （That criminal gang stops at nothing to extort money, even hurting innocent people.）
  2. 他不择手段地往上爬，最终虽然得到了地位，却失去了朋友。
    （He used every dirty trick in the book to climb the corporate ladder; he gained status but lost his friends.）
  3. 真正的英雄是靠实力取胜，而不是靠不择手段。
    （A true hero wins through strength, not by resorting to unscrupulous methods.）
  4. 为了掩盖真相，他们不择手段地销毁了所有证据。
    （To cover up the truth, they used any means necessary to destroy all the evidence.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Usage Warning: This is a very strong derogatory term. Using it to describe a friend's hard work would be taken as a serious insult to their character. For positive effort, use terms like 全力以赴 (quán lì yǐ fù) instead.
  • Machiavellianism: In Chinese discourse, 不择手段 (bù zé shǒu duàn) is the standard way to critically describe the philosophy that 'the end justifies the means.'

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 不择手段 (bù zé shǒu duàn) describes a ruthless approach where a person ignores morality and law to get what they want. While the English phrase 'by any means necessary' can sometimes sound determined or even heroic, this Chinese idiom is strictly negative and is used to condemn villainous or unethical behavior. It should never be used to describe honest hard work.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 1

Idiom Essay

bù zé shǒu duàn
不择手段
By Any Means Necessary
zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中，wǒ men我们měi gè rén每个人dōu都yǒu有xiǎng yào想要dá chéng达成de的mù biāo目标。

In life, each of us has goals we want to achieve.

yě xǔ也许shì是xiǎng yào想要yíng dé赢得yī cháng一场bǐ sài比赛，yě xǔ也许shì是xiǎng yào想要dé dào得到yī fèn一份gōng zuò工作，huò zhě或者jǐn jǐn仅仅shì是xiǎng yào想要dé dào得到mǒu yàng某样dōng xī东西。

Perhaps it is wanting to win a competition, wanting to get a job, or simply wanting to obtain something.

tōng cháng通常qíng kuàng情况xià下，wèi le为了dá chéng达成mù biāo目标，wǒ men我们huì会nǔ lì努力，huì会xiǎng想bàn fǎ办法。

Usually, to achieve a goal, we work hard and look for ways.

dàn shì但是，wǒ men我们xīn lǐ心里dōu都yǒu有yī tiáo一条yǐn xíng隐形de的dǐ xiàn底线：yǒu xiē有些shì qíng事情kě yǐ可以zuò做，yǒu xiē有些shì qíng事情bù néng不能zuò做。

However, we all have an invisible bottom line in our hearts: some things can be done, and some things cannot.

kě shì可是，rú guǒ如果yǒu有yí gè rén一个人，wèi le为了dá dào达到mù dì目的，bǎ把zhè这tiáo条dǐ xiàn底线cā diào擦掉le了ne呢？

But what if someone erases this bottom line in order to achieve their goal?

rú guǒ如果duì对tā他lái shuō来说，zhǐ yào只要néng能yíng赢，wú lùn无论yòng用shén me什么fāng fǎ方法dōu都kě yǐ可以ne呢？

What if, for them, any method is acceptable as long as they can win?

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常yǒu lì有力，dàn但tóng shí同时yě也bǐ jiào比较chén zhòng沉重de的chéng yǔ成语，yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“bù zé shǒu duàn不择手段”。

In Chinese, there is a very powerful but also heavy idiom used to describe this state, called 不择手段.

wǒ men我们kě yǐ可以bǎ把zhè ge这个cí词chāi kāi拆开lái来kàn看。

We can break this word down to look at it.

“shǒu duàn手段”，jiù shì就是fāng fǎ方法、cè lüè策略。

手段 means methods or strategies.

ér而“zé择”，shì是xuǎn zé选择de的yì si意思。

And 择 means to choose.

“bù zé shǒu duàn不择手段”，zì miàn字面shàng上de的yì si意思jiù shì就是：bù不xuǎn zé选择fāng fǎ方法。

不择手段 literally means not choosing methods.

zhè这tīng qǐ lái听起来hǎo xiàng好像hěn很pǔ tōng普通，dàn但tā它de的shí jì实际hán yì含义shì是：bù guǎn不管shì是hǎo好de的fāng fǎ方法hái shì还是huài坏de的fāng fǎ方法，bù guǎn不管shì是hé fǎ合法de的hái shì还是wéi fǎ违法de的，bù guǎn不管shì是chéng shí诚实de的hái shì还是qī piàn欺骗de的，zhǐ yào只要néng能dá dào达到mù dì目的，wǒ我quán dōu全都kě yǐ可以yòng用。

This sounds ordinary, but its actual meaning is: whether the method is good or bad, legal or illegal, honest or deceptive, as long as it achieves the goal, I will use it.

zhè这shì是yí gè一个diǎn xíng典型de的biǎn yì cí贬义词。

This is a typical derogatory term.

wǒ men我们tōng cháng通常bú huì不会yòng用tā它lái来kuā jiǎng夸奖bié rén别人cōng míng聪明，ér shì而是yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容yí gè一个rén人de的kě pà可怕。

We usually do not use it to praise someone's intelligence, but rather to describe how frightening a person is.

shì xiǎng试想zhè yàng这样yí gè一个chǎng jǐng场景：zài在gōng sī公司lǐ里，dà jiā大家dōu都xiǎng想jìng zhēng竞争tóng同yí gè一个jīng lǐ经理de的wèi zhì位置。

Imagine a scenario: in a company, everyone wants to compete for the same manager position.

zhèng cháng rén正常人huì会tōng guò通过nǔ lì努力gōng zuò工作、zhǎn shì展示néng lì能力lái来jìng zhēng竞争。

A normal person would compete by working hard and demonstrating their ability.

dàn但rú guǒ如果yǒu有yí gè rén一个人，tā他tōu tōu偷偷shān diào删掉le了tóng shì同事de的wén jiàn文件，huò zhě或者sàn bù散布guān yú关于duì shǒu对手de的yáo yán谣言，shèn zhì甚至qù去tǎo hǎo讨好lǎo bǎn老板zuò做yī xiē一些bù guāng cǎi不光彩de的jiāo yì交易。

But if there is a person who secretly deletes a colleague's files, spreads rumors about opponents, or even flatters the boss to make shady deals.

zhè ge这个shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们jiù就huì会shuō说：zhè ge这个rén人wèi le为了shēng zhí升职，zhēn shì真是“bù zé shǒu duàn不择手段”。

At this time, we would say: this person is truly 不择手段 in order to get promoted.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语zhī suǒ yǐ之所以ràng让rén人jué de觉得bù ān不安，shì是yīn wèi因为tā它dǎ pò打破le了rén人yǔ与rén人zhī jiān之间zuì最jī běn基本de的xìn rèn信任。

The reason this idiom makes people feel uneasy is that it breaks the most basic trust between people.

zài在yí gè一个“bù zé shǒu duàn不择手段”de的rén人yǎn lǐ眼里，zhǐ yǒu只有“zhōng diǎn终点”shì是zhòng yào重要de的，ér而tōng wǎng通往zhōng diǎn终点de的“guò chéng过程”bìng并bù不zhòng yào重要。

In the eyes of a 不择手段 person, only the 'finish line' is important, while the 'process' leading to it is not.

guī zé规则、dào dé道德、shèn zhì甚至bié rén别人de的lì yì利益，zài在tā men他们kàn lái看来，dōu都zhǐ shì只是kě yǐ可以suí shí随时xī shēng牺牲de的dài jià代价。

Rules, morality, and even the interests of others are, in their view, just costs that can be sacrificed at any time.

suī rán虽然wǒ men我们zài在diàn yǐng电影lǐ里，jīng cháng经常kàn dào看到nà xiē那些dà大fǎn pài反派wèi le为了tǒng zhì统治shì jiè世界ér而“bù zé shǒu duàn不择手段”。

Although in movies we often see great villains who are 不择手段 in order to rule the world.

dàn但zài在xiàn shí现实shēng huó生活zhōng中，zhè ge这个cí词gèng更duō多dì地shì是zài在tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们yào要jǐng tì警惕yī zhǒng一种xīn tài心态：nà那jiù shì就是——dāng当yù wàng欲望tài太guò过qiáng liè强烈，qiáng liè强烈dào到ràng让wǒ men我们kàn bú jiàn看不见guī zé规则de的shí hòu时候，rén人jiù就róng yì容易mí shī迷失。

In real life, this word is more of a reminder to be wary of a certain mindset: that is, when desire is too strong, so strong that it makes us blind to the rules, people easily lose their way.

suǒ yǐ所以，dāng当wǒ men我们píng jià评价yí gè一个rén人de的chéng gōng成功shí时，wǎng wǎng往往bù jǐn不仅kàn看tā他dé dào得到le了shén me什么，hái还yào要kàn看tā他shì是zěn me怎么dé dào得到de的。

Therefore, when we evaluate a person's success, we often look not only at what they achieved, but also at how they achieved it.

rú guǒ如果yǒu rén有人duì对nǐ你shuō说：“zhǐ yào只要jié guǒ结果shì是hǎo好de的，guò chéng过程bìng并bù不zhòng yào重要。”

If someone says to you: 'As long as the result is good, the process doesn't matter.'

nǐ你yě xǔ也许yào要xiǎo xīn小心le了，yīn wèi因为zhè这wǎng wǎng往往shì是“bù zé shǒu duàn不择手段”de的kāi shǐ开始。

You might need to be careful, because that is often the beginning of 不择手段.

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