秋毫无犯

Pronunciation: qiū háo wú fàn Literal meaning: Not violating even autumn down

Origin & Usage

Not violating (无犯) so much as the autumn down (秋毫) — the fine new hair animals grow as the cold comes on, which classical Chinese uses as the standard for the smallest thing an eye can resolve. The phrase belongs to armies. It is what was said of troops that passed through a district and took nothing, rare enough to be worth recording, and the measure is deliberately absurd in order to make the claim total. Discipline rather than honesty in general is the sense, and it still goes to soldiers and to officials.

Examples

English: "The army maintained strict discipline, not disturbing the civilians."

Chinese: 军队纪律严明，对百姓秋毫无犯。