无可厚非

• Pinyin: wú kě hòu fēi
• Hanzi breakdown: 无可 = negation + possibility; 厚 = 厂 + 子 (thick, substantial — heavily, greatly); 非 = two diverging strokes (negation, fault — to condemn)

Meaning

Not seriously blameworthy; understandable; within acceptable bounds. Used to indicate that although something may not be ideal or praiseworthy, it cannot be harshly criticised because it falls within the range of reasonable or justifiable behaviour.

厚非 = 厚 (heavily) + 非 (criticise/condemn). The expression means 'there is nothing one can heavily condemn'. Often used in analytical commentary to acknowledge pragmatic trade-offs or understandable motivations. Implies measured tolerance rather than enthusiastic approval. Commonly followed by a 'but' clause addressing remaining concerns.

Examples

1. 在资源有限的情况下，他选择优先保障核心业务，这一决定无可厚非。 With limited resources, he chose to prioritize the core business; that decision is entirely understandable.
2. 年轻人追求更高的薪资和更好的发展机会，这本是无可厚非的合理诉求。 Young people pursuing higher pay and better opportunities is a perfectly reasonable demand.
3. 企业为降低运营成本而进行业务整合，从商业逻辑上讲无可厚非，但须妥善处理员工安置问题。 From a business standpoint, it’s understandable for a company to consolidate operations to reduce costs, but it must properly handle employee placement.

Usage Guide

Context: analysis, policy, business, ethics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 市场竞争激烈时，公司先扩核心业务、暂缓非战略投资，从商业理性看无可厚非。(With fierce market competition, the company first expanded its core business and delayed non-strategic investment, which is understandable from a business perspective.)
• 政策制定者在两种合理目标之间做出取舍，这样的权衡在政策实践中无可厚非，关键在于决策过程是否透明，且结果是否真正符合公共利益。(Policy-makers making trade-offs between two legitimate objectives is not seriously blameworthy in the practice of governance; the key question is whether the decision-making process is transparent and whether the outcome truly serves the public interest.)

Don't Say

• 无可厚非 to mean outright approval or praise — it specifically means 'cannot be strongly condemned' rather than 'is commendable'; for genuine approval use 值得肯定 or 无可挑剔

Origin & History

无可 (nothing to) + 厚非 (heavily criticise) — there is nothing here that warrants severe criticism

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal