无情无义

• Pinyin: wú qíng wú yì
• Hanzi breakdown: 无情 = without feeling/compassion; 无 = negation; 义 = 羊 + 我 (a sacrificial offering — righteousness, moral duty, loyalty)

Meaning

Utterly heartless and devoid of moral obligation; completely lacking in human feeling and loyalty. Describes a person who shows neither compassion nor any sense of duty to those who have trusted or cared for them.

情 here refers to human warmth and emotional bond; 义 refers to moral duty, loyalty, and righteous obligation to others. The combination captures both the emotional and moral dimensions of betrayal. Typically used to condemn someone who has abandoned, betrayed, or exploited those who once relied on them. Stronger than 无情 alone, emphasising a complete moral failure alongside the absence of feeling.

Examples

1. 他在困难时期抛弃了多年共患难的同伴，被众人痛斥为无情无义之人。 He abandoned the companions who had shared hardships with him for years during the toughest time and was condemned by everyone as utterly heartless and disloyal.
2. 这位商人在合作伙伴最需要支持的时候落井下石，其无情无义的行径令整个行业为之寒心。 When his business partner needed support most, this merchant kicked him while he was down; his heartless, disloyal conduct chilled the entire industry.
3. 这篇评论文章批评这种唯利是图、无情无义的企业文化，认为它正在侵蚀社会的基本信任基础。 This commentary criticizes a profit-obsessed, utterly heartless corporate culture, arguing that it is eroding the basic foundation of trust in society.

Usage Guide

Context: personal relations, business ethics, social criticism

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 公司危机中，他带走客户资源出逃，还对老伙伴落井下石，无情无义的做法很快传开。(During the company crisis, he fled with the client resources and even kicked his old partners when they were down; his heartless and disloyal behavior quickly spread.)
• 小说揭示了权力腐蚀人性：权欲一旦膨胀，理想者也会变成无情无义的统治者。(The novel shows how power corrupts human nature: once the desire for power swells, even idealists can become heartless and ungrateful rulers.)

Don't Say

• 无情无义 for someone who is merely self-interested or keeps emotional distance — it specifically condemns an active betrayal of trust and duty toward people who depended on or cared for the person; for ordinary coldness use 冷漠 or 自私

Origin & History

无情 (without feeling) + 无义 (without moral duty/loyalty) — lacking both human compassion and righteous obligation to others

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal