不肖

bùxiào

adjective #48,166

Meanings

1 unworthy
2 degenerate
3 unlike one's parents (in a bad sense)
4 dissolute

Characters

resemble; be like

Examples

他是家族里的不肖子孙。

Tā shì jiāzú lǐ de bùxiào zǐsūn.

He is the disgrace of the family line.

不肖商人利用疫情哄抬物价。

Bùxiào shāngrén lìyòng yìqíng hōngtái wùjià.

Unscrupulous merchants jacked up prices during the epidemic.

她自责自己是个不肖女儿。

Tā zìzé zìjǐ shì ge bùxiào nǚ'ér.

She blamed herself for being an unworthy daughter.

Tips

history

Literally "not resembling": originally meant a son who fails to live up to (resemble) his virtuous father. Now it also broadly labels unscrupulous people, especially in fixed collocations: 不肖子孙, 不肖商人, 不肖之徒.

mistakes

不要 confuse with 不孝 (bùxiào, "unfilial"). Same pinyin, different character and slightly different meaning. 不肖 = unworthy of lineage; 不孝 = failing to care for parents.

Stroke Order

不 bù

肖 xiào