恩将仇报

恩將仇報

ēnjiāngchóubào

idiom #43,954

Meanings

1 to repay kindness with enmity
2 to bite the hand that feeds you
3 ingratitude toward a benefactor

Characters

kindness / favor

enmity / hatred

Examples

他救了你的命，你却恩将仇报。

Tā jiù le nǐ de mìng, nǐ què ēn jiāng chóu bào.

He saved your life, yet you repaid his kindness with hatred.

做人不能恩将仇报。

Zuò rén bù néng ēn jiāng chóu bào.

A decent person doesn't bite the hand that feeds them.

这样恩将仇报的行为令人寒心。

Zhèyàng ēn jiāng chóu bào de xíngwéi lìng rén hánxīn.

Repaying kindness with betrayal like this leaves one heartbroken.

Tips

history

Popularized by 明·吴承恩《西游记》第三十回, where the phrase is used when the Tang Monk fears that speaking out will cause a kidnapped princess to be killed by her captor — the archetypal ingrate scenario.

Stroke Order

恩 ēn

将 jiāng

仇 chóu

报 bào