藏污纳垢

藏污納垢

cángwūnàgòu

idiom #54,319

Meanings

1 to hide filth and harbor corruption
2 to shelter wrongdoers
3 (of a place) a haven for vice

Characters

to accept; to take in

grime; corruption

Examples

这条小巷曾经是藏污纳垢的地方。

Zhè tiáo xiǎoxiàng céngjīng shì cángwūnàgòu de dìfang.

This little alley used to be a haven for vice.

整顿娱乐场所，绝不让其藏污纳垢。

Zhěngdùn yúlè chǎngsuǒ, juébù ràng qí cángwūnàgòu.

Crack down on entertainment venues — never let them shelter wrongdoing.

公司内部不允许藏污纳垢。

Gōngsī nèibù bù yǔnxǔ cángwūnàgòu.

The company will not tolerate any sheltering of corruption internally.

Tips

history

Echoes 《左传·宣公十五年》: 川泽纳污，山薮藏疾 — even rivers take in mud and mountains hide pests. Originally a metaphor for a great leader tolerating flaws; modern usage has flipped to strictly negative.

mistakes

Don't confuse with 含垢忍辱 (to swallow insults); that one is about personal endurance, while 藏污纳垢 is about places or institutions sheltering bad elements.

Stroke Order

藏 cáng

污 wū

纳 nà

垢 gòu