改邪归正

• Pinyin: gǎi xié guī zhèng
• Hanzi breakdown: 改 = 己 + 攴 (change); 邪 = 牙 + 阝 (evil, deviant); 归 = 刀 + 自 + 巾 (return); 正 = 一 + 止 (upright, correct)

Meaning

To turn over a new leaf; to mend one's ways; to abandon wrongdoing and return to the right path. Describes genuine moral or behavioural reform.

A four-character idiom (成语). Used to describe someone who reforms after a period of wrongdoing, criminal behaviour, or moral failure. Common in legal discourse, education, literature, and moral persuasion. Often appears in discussions of criminal rehabilitation, persuasion of errant individuals, or the moral transformation of a character in a narrative. Structure: 改 (change) + 邪 (evil/wrong) + 归 (return to) + 正 (correct/upright).

Examples

1. 经过漫长的服刑生涯和内心的深刻反思，他终于下定决心改邪归正，重新回归正常的社会生活。 After a long prison term and deep self-reflection, he finally made up his mind to turn over a new leaf and return to a normal life in society.
2. 这部小说以一个误入歧途的青年如何在亲情与教育的感化下改邪归正为主线，引人深思。 This novel follows a young man who goes down the wrong path and how, through the influence of family affection and education, he turns his life around—giving readers a lot to think about.
3. 社区矫正机构的工作人员耐心引导服刑人员正视过去的错误，帮助他们树立改邪归正的意志。 Community corrections staff patiently guide offenders to face their past mistakes and help them build the resolve to reform.

Usage Guide

Context: law, education, moral discourse, narrative

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 法律不仅是惩处犯罪的工具，更肩负着感化和引导罪犯改邪归正、重新融入社会的教育职能。(The law is not only a tool for punishing crime but also bears the educational function of reforming and guiding offenders to mend their ways and reintegrate into society.)
• 古典戏曲中常有浪子回头、改邪归正的情节，寄托了民间对人性本善、迷途知返的美好愿望。(Classical opera often features storylines of prodigal sons returning and mending their ways, embodying the folk wish that human nature is fundamentally good and that those who have strayed will find their way back.)

Don't Say

• 我改邪归正了我的作业 — 改邪归正 describes a person's moral reformation from wrongdoing; use 改正 or 修改 for correcting a homework assignment or written error

Origin & History

改 (change) + 邪 (evil/deviant) + 归 (return) + 正 (upright/correct) — classical four-character set phrase

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal