quàn shàn chéng èdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to encourage virtue and punish evil (idiom) / fig. poetic justice / you get what's coming to you
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-47508f42fb10d603. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

勸善懲惡 劝善惩恶 [quan4 shan4 cheng2 e4] /to encourage virtue and punish evil (idiom); fig. poetic justice/you get what's coming to you/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 勸善懲惡

  • 劝
    quàn

    to advise / to urge / to try to persuade / to exhort / to console / to soothe

  • 善
    shàn

    good (virtuous) / benevolent / well-disposed / good at sth / to improve or perfect

  • 惩
    chéng

    to punish / to reprimand / to warn

  • 恶
    ě

    used in 惡心|恶心[ě xīn]

    è

    evil / fierce / vicious / ugly / coarse / to harm

    wù

    to hate / to loathe / ashamed / to fear / to slander

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.