有恃无恐

有恃無恐

yǒushì-wúkǒng

idiom #62,144

Meanings

1 unafraid because one has backing
2 emboldened by something to rely on
3 to act without fear because of support behind the scenes

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

他有恃无恐，完全不把规矩放在眼里。

Tā yǒushì-wúkǒng, wánquán bù bǎ guīju fàngzài yǎnlǐ.

He acts fearlessly, relying on his backing, and doesn't take the rules seriously at all.

HSK 7-9

仗着父亲的权势，他有恃无恐。

Zhàng zhe fùqīn de quánshì, tā yǒushì-wúkǒng.

Relying on his father's power and influence, he acts without any fear.

HSK 7-9

只有法律严明，才能让人不敢有恃无恐。

Zhǐyǒu fǎlǜ yánmíng, cáinéng ràng rén bù gǎn yǒushì-wúkǒng.

Only when the law is strict will people not dare to act with reckless confidence.

Tips

history

From 《左传·僖公二十六年》: 室如悬罄，野无青草，何恃而不恐 - 'the house is as empty as a hanging chime and the fields have no green grass; what have we to rely on that we should not fear?' The phrase 有恃无恐 flips this rhetorical question into a declarative.

usage

Strongly pejorative: the 'backing' is typically power, wealth, or connections being abused. The person is arrogant, not merely confident.

Stroke Order

有 yǒu

恃 shì

无 wú

恐 kǒng