8 Chinese Idioms About Karma & Consequences

Actions have consequences

Literal meaning: Cause and effect return

This idiom encapsulates the Buddhist concept that causes (因) and effects (果) inevitably return (报应) as consequences. Introduced with Buddhism during the Han Dynasty, it gained widespread acceptance during the Tang period, offering a sophisticated framework for understanding moral causation. The conc...

Actions cannot be undone

Literal meaning: Spilled water hard to recover

This irreversible idiom states that water once spilled (覆水) is difficult (难) to gather back (收), originating from Tang Dynasty poetry. It first appeared in a poem about irrevocable separation between husband and wife, comparing their relationship to water impossible to return to its container once p...

Leniency encourages worse behavior

Literal meaning: Tolerate evil, nurture harm

This enabling idiom describes temporarily tolerating (姑息) problems and thereby nurturing (养) future harm (奸), originating from Han Dynasty governmental warnings. It first appeared in administrative texts cautioning against short-term appeasement of problems that would grow more serious if not proper...

Accumulated evil deeds ripe for punishment

Literal meaning: Evil accumulated fully filled

Han Dynasty metaphysical discussions introduced this image of wickedness (恶) accumulating until fully (满) overflowing (盈). Buddhist influence strengthened its connection to inevitable karmic consequences. The metaphor of evil as a liquid gradually filling a vessel until it overflows perfectly captur...

Sincerely admit fault and accept consequences

Literal meaning: Carry thorns request punishment

The 'Records of the Grand Historian' tells how general Lin Xiangru carried thorns (负荆) while requesting punishment (请罪) to demonstrate sincere regret for insulting fellow general Lian Po. Han Dynasty writers transformed this specific incident into a broader symbol of genuine remorse backed by willin...

Reap what one sows; suffer consequences

Literal meaning: Self eat its fruit

This idiom describes eating (食) the fruit (果) of one's own (自其) actions - suffering the consequences of one's behavior. The agricultural metaphor connects actions to their natural outcomes, like trees producing fruit from seeds planted. The phrase reflects the Buddhist and Confucian concept of moral...

Extremes lead to reversal

Literal meaning: Things at extreme reverse

This idiom captures a fundamental principle of Chinese philosophy: when things (物) reach their extreme (极), they inevitably (必) reverse (反). First articulated in the I Ching, it reflects observations of natural cycles like the changing seasons. During the Warring States period, strategists applied t...

Bring trouble upon oneself

Literal meaning: Draw fire burn self

This cautionary idiom describes the act of drawing (引) fire (火) to burn (烧) oneself (身), originating from the Spring and Autumn period. It first appeared in historical accounts of conspirators who, in attempting to harm others, ultimately destroyed themselves. The metaphor draws from ancient Chinese...