Definition
始作俑者 is a chengyu that literally means 'the first to make burial figurines' — a reference to an ancient practice of using human sacrifice, later replaced by clay figurines. Today it refers to the person who started a bad trend or harmful practice. Use it to criticize the originator of something negative, not for positive innovations.
n.
originator of a bad practice or precedentthe one who started a harmful trend
Examples
- 始作俑者。Tā shì zhè cì jīnróng wēijī de shǐ zuò yǒng zhě.He is the originator of this financial crisis.
- 始作俑者。Zhè zhǒng bùliáng fēngqì de shǐ zuò yǒng zhě yīnggāi shòudào qiǎnzé.The originator of this bad atmosphere should be condemned.
- 始作俑者，。Zuòwéi zhè zhǒng cuòwù zuòfǎ de shǐ zuò yǒng zhě, tā nán cí qí jiù.As the originator of this wrong practice, he cannot escape blame.
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