无恶不作

• Pinyin: wú è bù zuò
• Hanzi breakdown: 无 = negation; 恶 = 亚 + 心 (a twisted heart — evil); 不 = negation; 作 = 亻+ 乍 (person acting — to commit/do)

Meaning

To commit every imaginable evil; utterly wicked and unscrupulous. Describes a person or group that has engaged in every kind of wrongdoing without exception, leaving no evil undone.

A four-character idiom (成语) used to describe habitual, wide-ranging criminal or moral wrongdoing. The construction '无…不…' means 'there is no X that has not been done'. Typically applied in legal, journalistic, or historical contexts to characterise serial offenders or corrupt organisations. Carries a strong tone of moral condemnation.

Examples

1. 这个黑帮头目无恶不作，把持地方经济横行霸道达二十余年，最终被警方一网打尽。 This gang boss committed every kind of crime, controlling the local economy and acting like a tyrant for over twenty years, until the police finally wiped out the whole operation.
2. 调查人员揭露，该腐败集团无恶不作，从操纵招标到掩盖安全事故，无所不用其极。 Investigators revealed that the corrupt group stopped at nothing, from rigging bids to covering up safety accidents.
3. 历史文献记载，这名军阀无恶不作，其统治期间百姓流离失所，民不聊生。 Historical records show that this warlord committed every kind of evil; during his rule, people were displaced and left with no way to make a living.

Usage Guide

Context: law, journalism, history

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 这名罪犯的犯罪档案触目惊心，抢劫、诈骗、伤害几乎无恶不作，法庭最终以多项重罪判处其无期徒刑。(This criminal's record was horrifying — robbery, fraud, assault — having committed virtually every category of crime; the court ultimately sentenced him to life imprisonment on multiple serious charges.)
• 独立调查委员会的报告显示，该企业管理层无恶不作，长期向监管机构行贿并伪造财务数据，最终引发了席卷整个行业的信任危机。(The independent investigation committee's report revealed that the company's management had committed every manner of wrongdoing — long-term bribery of regulators and falsification of financial data — ultimately triggering a crisis of trust that swept through the entire industry.)

Don't Say

• 无恶不作 for someone who is merely mischievous or occasionally dishonest — it describes a systematic pattern of serious, repeated criminal or moral wrongdoing across multiple categories

Origin & History

无恶 (no evil) + 不作 (not committed) — there is no evil deed this person has not done

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal