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胡作非為

简胡作非为 · 繁胡作非為

Mandarin · pinyin hú zuò fēi wéi

to run amok (idiom); to commit outrages

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Characters in this entry

胡: hú · recklessly, foolishly; wildly
作: zuò · make; work; compose, write; act, perform
非: fēi · not, negative, non-; oppose; Kangxi radical 175
為: Look up this written character
为: wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–4–1–2 · hu2 zuo4 fei1 wei2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

胡作非為 · find source passages ↗ · 胡作非为 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to disregard rules and do evil as one pleases; to act wildly in defiance or public opinion or the law

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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