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

HSK 6
Tā rènwéi quánlì cái shì wàn'èzhīyuán.
He believes that power is in fact the root of all evil.
HSK 7-9
Yǒurén shuō tānlán shì wàn'èzhīyuán.
Some say greed is 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 (熬夜是万恶之源 '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