ēn jiāng chóu bào: 恩将仇报 - To repay kindness with hatred; to bite the hand that feeds you

• Keywords: ēn jiāng chóu bào, 恩将仇报, repay kindness with hatred Chinese idiom, bite the hand that feeds you in Chinese, Chinese chengyu for betrayal, ungrateful in Chinese, Chinese proverb about ingratitude, what does en jiang chou bao mean
• Summary: The Chinese idiom (chengyu) 恩将仇报 (ēn jiāng chóu bào) describes the ultimate act of betrayal: repaying a significant act of kindness with hatred, hostility, or harm. Far more severe than simple ingratitude, this term is a powerful condemnation of someone who “bites the hand that feeds them.” Understanding 恩将仇报 is key to grasping the deep cultural importance placed on loyalty and repaying favors in Chinese society.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): ēn jiāng chóu bào
• Part of Speech: Chengyu (成语) / Idiom
• HSK Level: N/A (Advanced / Chengyu)
• Concise Definition: To repay a favor or kindness with enmity and revenge.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine you rescue someone, give them a place to live, and help them find a job. Then, that person steals from you and spreads vicious rumors about you. That is a perfect example of 恩将仇报. It's not just forgetting to say “thank you”; it's an active, malicious betrayal of a benefactor. It is one of the most serious accusations you can make against someone's character in Chinese culture.

• 恩 (ēn): A deep kindness, a significant favor, grace. This isn't just a small courtesy; it's a life-changing or substantial act of help.
• 将 (jiāng): A classical particle meaning “to take” or “to use.” Here, it functions like the modern Chinese word `把 (bǎ)`, indicating that the object (恩, kindness) is what's being used to perform the action.
• 仇 (chóu): Hatred, enmity, revenge, foe. This implies a strong, hostile feeling or action.
• 报 (bào): To repay, to reciprocate, to report.

When combined, the characters literally translate to: “To take (将) kindness (恩) and repay (报) with hatred (仇).” The structure clearly shows the perverse reversal of what is socially and morally expected.

• Cultural Importance: 恩将仇报 cuts to the heart of several core Chinese cultural values. The concept of 报恩 (bào'ēn), or repaying kindness, is a fundamental social obligation. It is deeply intertwined with concepts of 义 (yì), meaning righteousness and loyalty, and 人情 (rénqíng), the web of social favors and obligations. To commit an act of 恩将仇报 is to not only be ungrateful but to shatter this social fabric and prove oneself to be morally bankrupt. Classic Chinese fables, like 《农夫与蛇》(nóngfū yǔ shé) - “The Farmer and the Snake”, where a farmer saves a frozen snake only to be bitten and killed, are taught from a young age to illustrate this very concept.
• Comparison to Western Culture: The English idiom “to bite the hand that feeds you” is a close equivalent. However, 恩将仇报 often carries a heavier moral weight and a stronger sense of personal betrayal. While one might say an employee who complains about their boss is “biting the hand that feeds them,” this would typically not be considered 恩将仇报 unless the employee took active steps to sabotage the boss who had, for example, saved them from being fired. 恩将仇报 implies a conscious and malicious act of harm, whereas “biting the hand” can sometimes refer to mere complaining or disrespect.

• Connotation: Extremely negative. It is a very serious and formal accusation. Using it lightly can sound overly dramatic or comical.
• Formality: It is a formal Chengyu, often found in written language, news headlines, and formal speeches. However, it's also used in everyday conversation during heated arguments or when describing a profound betrayal by a friend, family member, or colleague.
• Contexts:
  • News and Social Commentary: Used to describe criminals who harm their rescuers, or public figures who betray their mentors or supporters.
  • Personal Relationships: A very strong term to use when a friend or family member returns immense help with cruelty or backstabbing.
  • Historical and Literary Analysis: Frequently used to describe treacherous characters in stories, movies, and historical accounts.

• Example 1:
  • 我救了他的命，他却偷走了我所有的钱，真是恩将仇报！
  • Pinyin: Wǒ jiùle tā de mìng, tā què tōuzǒule wǒ suǒyǒu de qián, zhēn shì ēn jiāng chóu bào!
  • English: I saved his life, but he stole all my money. This is truly repaying kindness with hatred!
  • Analysis: This is a classic, straightforward example of the idiom. The first clause establishes the great kindness (恩), and the second clause shows the hateful repayment (仇报).
• Example 2:
  • 那个故事里的蛇就是恩将仇报的典型例子。
  • Pinyin: Nàge gùshì lǐ de shé jiùshì ēn jiāng chóu bào de diǎnxíng lìzi.
  • English: The snake in that story is a classic example of repaying kindness with hatred.
  • Analysis: This shows how the idiom is used to categorize a character or action, often referencing the famous “Farmer and the Snake” fable.
• Example 3:
  • 公司培养了他这么多年，他却带着核心技术跳槽到了竞争对手那里，这种恩将仇报的行为让老板非常心寒。
  • Pinyin: Gōngsī péiyǎngle tā zhème duō nián, tā què dàizhe héxīn jìshù tiàocáo dào le jìngzhēng duìshǒu nàlǐ, zhè zhǒng ēn jiāng chóu bào de xíngwéi ràng lǎobǎn fēicháng xīnhán.
  • English: The company nurtured him for so many years, yet he took their core technology and jumped ship to a competitor. This act of biting the hand that fed him made the boss deeply disappointed.
  • Analysis: A common business context. The “kindness” (恩) is the years of training and opportunity provided by the company. The betrayal is the theft of intellectual property.
• Example 4:
  • 你不能这样对你的父母，他们为你付出了那么多，你这是恩将仇报！
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bùnéng zhèyàng duì nǐ de fùmǔ, tāmen wèi nǐ fùchūle nàme duō, nǐ zhè shì ēn jiāng chóu bào!
  • English: You can't treat your parents like this! They sacrificed so much for you. What you're doing is repaying their kindness with hatred!
  • Analysis: Used in a family argument to express deep hurt and accusation, invoking the immense “kindness” (恩) of parental sacrifice.
• Example 5:
  • 我们好心收留他，他反过来诬陷我们，简直是现代版的农夫与蛇，太恩将仇报了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen hǎoxīn shōuliú tā, tā fǎn guòlái wūxiàn wǒmen, jiǎnzhí shì xiàndài bǎn de nóngfū yǔ shé, tài ēn jiāng chóu bào le.
  • English: We kindly took him in, and in return he framed us. It's simply a modern version of “The Farmer and the Snake,” a total act of repaying kindness with hatred.
  • Analysis: This example explicitly connects the action to the famous fable, highlighting the severity of the betrayal.
• Example 6:
  • 帮助人的时候也要小心，免得遇到恩将仇报的小人。
  • Pinyin: Bāngzhù rén de shíhòu yě yào xiǎoxīn, miǎndé yùdào ēn jiāng chóu bào de xiǎorén.
  • English: You have to be careful when helping people, lest you encounter a despicable person who will repay your kindness with hatred.
  • Analysis: Here, the idiom is used as part of a warning or piece of cynical advice.
• Example 7:
  • 他非但不感激你的帮助，反而到处说你坏话，这和恩将仇报有什么区别？
  • Pinyin: Tā fēi dàn bù gǎnjī nǐ de bāngzhù, fǎnr'ér dàochù shuō nǐ huàihuà, zhè hé ēn jiāng chóu bào yǒu shéme qūbié?
  • English: Not only is he not grateful for your help, but he's also spreading rumors about you everywhere. How is that any different from repaying kindness with hatred?
  • Analysis: This is a rhetorical question used to condemn someone's behavior by equating it with 恩将仇报.
• Example 8:
  • 这位将军投降了曾经饶他一命的敌人，被后人唾骂为恩将仇报的叛徒。
  • Pinyin: Zhè wèi jiāngjūn tóuxiángle céngjīng ráo tā yī mìng de dírén, bèi hòurén tuòmà wéi ēn jiāng chóu bào de pàntú.
  • English: This general surrendered to the enemy who had once spared his life, and was condemned by later generations as a traitor who repaid kindness with hatred.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates the use of the idiom in a historical context to pass a strong moral judgment.
• Example 9:
  • 我不求你知恩图报，但你至少不应该恩将仇报吧？
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bù qiú nǐ zhī ēn tú bào, dàn nǐ zhìshǎo bù yīnggāi ēn jiāng chóu bào ba?
  • English: I'm not asking you to be grateful and repay my kindness, but at the very least you shouldn't repay it with hatred, right?
  • Analysis: This sentence contrasts 恩将仇报 with its antonym `知恩图报` (zhī ēn tú bào), setting a very low moral bar for the other person, thus emphasizing their terrible behavior.
• Example 10:
  • 小心，他这个人有恩将仇报的前科。
  • Pinyin: Xiǎoxīn, tā zhège rén yǒu ēn jiāng chóu bào de qiánkē.
  • English: Be careful, that guy has a track record of repaying kindness with hatred.
  • Analysis: Here, the idiom is used to describe a person's character flaw or a pattern of past behavior (`前科` - qiánkē means criminal record/past wrongdoing).

• Don't use it for minor ingratitude. This is the most common mistake. If you buy a friend lunch and they don't say thank you, they are being rude, not committing 恩将仇报. This term is reserved for situations where a significant kindness (恩) is met with a significant act of hostility (仇).
• It implies active harm, not passive neglect. A person who simply forgets a favor or fails to reciprocate is better described as `忘恩负义 (wàng'ēn fùyì)`. A person who actively works to harm their benefactor is the one who commits 恩将仇报. The latter is a much stronger and more severe action.
• Incorrect Usage Example:
  • Incorrect: 我帮他捡起了笔，他都没看我一眼。他真是恩将仇报！(Wǒ bāng tā jiǎnqǐle bǐ, tā dōu méi kàn wǒ yī yǎn. Tā zhēnshi ēn jiāng chóu bào!) - I helped him pick up his pen, and he didn't even look at me. He's really repaying kindness with hatred!
  • Why it's wrong: This is a comical exaggeration. Picking up a pen is a tiny courtesy, not a profound “恩” (kindness). The lack of a glance is rudeness, not “仇” (hatred). Using the idiom here makes the speaker sound overly dramatic and misunderstands the gravity of the term.

• 知恩图报 (zhī ēn tú bào) - The direct antonym. It means “to recognize a favor and plan to repay it,” a highly praised virtue.
• 忘恩负义 (wàng ēn fù yì) - A very close synonym, meaning “to forget kindness and betray righteousness.” It's slightly more focused on the “forgetting” aspect, while 恩将仇报 focuses on the active “repaying with hatred.”
• 过河拆桥 (guò hé chāi qiáo) - “To tear down the bridge after crossing the river.” A similar concept of ungratefulness, describing someone who abandons or harms a person who helped them achieve a goal, now that their help is no longer needed.
• 农夫与蛇 (nóngfū yǔ shé) - “The Farmer and the Snake.” The quintessential fable that embodies the meaning of 恩将仇报.
• 以德报怨 (yǐ dé bào yuàn) - “To repay injury with kindness.” This is the opposite moral action to 恩将仇报, often associated with magnanimity and high moral character.
• 背信弃义 (bèi xìn qì yì) - “To betray trust and abandon righteousness.” A broader term for treachery and disloyalty that often overlaps with 恩将仇报.
• 报恩 (bào'ēn) - The verb “to repay a kindness.” This is the proper and expected action, the opposite of what happens in 恩将仇报.
• 白眼狼 (báiyǎnláng) - “White-eyed wolf.” A colloquial noun for a person who is treacherous and ungrateful, someone who would commit an act of 恩将仇报.