万恶之源

萬惡之源
wàn'èzhīyuán
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 the root of all evil
  2. 2 the source of all wrongdoing

Examples

Yǒu rén shuō tānlán shì wàn'èzhīyuán.
Some say greed is the root of all evil.
Tā rènwéi quánlì cái shì wàn'èzhīyuán.
He believes that power is in fact the root of all evil.

Tips

culture
万恶之源 is a calque of the biblical 'the love of money is the root of all evil' (1 Timothy 6:10). It entered Chinese through Christian missionary translations and is now a freestanding rhetorical phrase, applied to whatever the speaker wants to indict — money, power, greed, the internet, etc.
usage
Often deployed half-jokingly online (熬夜万恶之源 'staying up late is the root of all evil'). For a serious indictment, the tone is heavy and judgmental.

Stroke Order

wàn
è
zhī
yuán