恶报 (èbào): karmic retribution

Meanings

1 karmic retribution
2 punishment for evil deeds
3 bad consequences for wrongdoing

Characters

恶

retribution / reward / to repay

Examples

善有善报，恶有恶报，不是不报，时候未到。

Shàn yǒu shànbào, è yǒu èbào, bú shì bú bào, shíhou wèi dào.

Good is rewarded with good, evil is met with retribution — it is not that there is no reckoning, the time has not yet come.

他做了这么多坏事，早晚会得到恶报的。

Tā zuò le zhème duō huài shì, zǎowǎn huì dédào èbào de.

He has done so many bad things; sooner or later he will face retribution.

Tips

culture

恶报 reflects the Buddhist concept of karma (业报, yèbào): every action creates consequences that will return to the actor. The paired saying 善有善报，恶有恶报 (good deeds are rewarded, evil deeds are punished) is among the most widely known folk proverbs in Chinese culture, rooted in Buddhist cosmology.