道德绑架

道德綁架

dàodébǎngjià

noun

Meanings

1 moral kidnapping
2 moral coercion
3 guilt-tripping someone with appeals to duty or virtue

Characters

to tie / to bind

to seize / kidnap

Examples

用孝顺这件事道德绑架他不公平。

Yòng xiàoshùn zhè jiàn shì dàodé bǎngjià tā bù gōngpíng.

It's unfair to morally coerce him by appealing to filial piety.

捐款应该自愿，不该被道德绑架。

Juānkuǎn yīnggāi zìyuàn, bù gāi bèi dàodé bǎngjià.

Donations should be voluntary, not the result of moral coercion.

Tips

culture

A relatively recent term — popularized in the 2010s on Chinese social media to push back against demands like 'you're rich, you should donate', 'as the eldest son you must…', or 'a good citizen would…'. The vivid 绑架 ('kidnap') frames moral pressure as a hostage-taking.

usage

Often used as a verb too: 别道德绑架我 ('don't morally kidnap me'). The construction X 绑架 ('kidnapped by X') has spread to other contexts: 数据绑架, 算法绑架.

Stroke Order

道 dào

德 dé

绑 bǎng

架 jià