8 Chinese Idioms About Bad Bosses & Toxic Leadership

Excellence that outshines all others

Literal meaning: Rise above the crowd

This distinguished idiom describes emerging (出) from a category (类) and rising above (拔) the crowd (萃), originating from the Book of Later Han. It first described officials whose exceptional talents distinguished them from colleagues. The agricultural metaphor suggests a plant growing noticeably tal...

Creating unnecessary troubles for oneself

Literal meaning: Mediocre person self-disturbs

This psychological idiom describes how unremarkable people (庸人) trouble themselves (自扰) with imagined concerns, originating from Ming Dynasty philosopher Wang Yangming's writings. He observed how ordinary minds generate unnecessary suffering through excessive rumination. The phrase gained popularity...

Beyond hope of redemption or reform

Literal meaning: Cannot be saved by medicine

The great physician Zhang Zhongjing's 'Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders' introduced this concept of conditions that cannot (不可) be cured by medicine (救药). Tang Dynasty Buddhist writers expanded its meaning beyond physical ailments to describe moral corruption beyond redemption. When even the most s...

Evenly matched with neither superior

Literal meaning: Not mutually up down

Han Dynasty military strategists developed this elegant phrase to describe forces without (不) mutual (相) superiority or inferiority (上下). Initially used for armies whose different strengths created overall parity, Tang Dynasty writers expanded it to compare everything from scholarly works to artisti...

Exploit others during their vulnerability

Literal meaning: Ride person's danger

Han Dynasty military treatises first condemned this practice of taking advantage (乘) of others' moments of vulnerability (危). Tang Dynasty Confucian scholars expanded it into a broader ethical principle. The metaphor of 'mounting' someone's difficulty suggested using their misfortune as a stepping s...

Constantly anxious about gains and losses

Literal meaning: Worry about gain, worry about loss

This idiom comes from 'The Analects of Confucius,' where it describes petty people who worry (患) about gaining (得) before they have something, then worry about losing (失) it once obtained. Confucius contrasted this anxious mindset with the equanimity of the superior person. The phrase critiques atta...

Practice what one preaches

Literal meaning: Words and actions consistent

This idiom describes words (言) and actions (行) being consistent (一致). It embodies the Confucian ideal of integrity where speech matches behavior. The phrase appeared in texts praising individuals whose deeds fulfilled their promises. Confucius emphasized that the superior person is slow to speak but...

Be domineering and arrogant

Literal meaning: Command with chin gestures and breath

This idiom describes commanding others with chin (颐) gestures (指) and breathing (气) to direct (使). It depicts someone so arrogant they give orders through mere facial expressions and sighs rather than words. This behavior was associated with tyrannical masters commanding servants. Modern usage criti...