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有恃无恐

有恃無恐
yǒushìwúkǒng
idiom #62,144

Meanings

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

Examples

他有恃无恐，完全不把规矩放在眼里。
Tā yǒushìwúkǒng, wánquán bù bǎ guīju fàng zài yǎn lǐ.
He acts fearlessly, relying on his backing, and doesn't take the rules seriously at all.
仗着父亲的权势，他有恃无恐。
Zhàngzhe fùqīn de quánshì, tā yǒushìwúkǒng.
Relying on his father's power and influence, he acts without any fear.
只有法律严明，才能让人不敢有恃无恐。
Zhǐyǒu fǎlǜ yánmíng, cái néng ràng rén bùgǎn yǒushìwúkǒng.
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