Definition
This chengyu (set phrase) means 'chief culprit' or 'main cause of a disaster' — it's used both literally for a criminal ringleader and figuratively for the root cause of a problem. Unlike a plain word like 原因 (reason), 罪魁祸首 carries a strong negative judgment, blaming someone or something as the primary source of harm.
idiom
chief culpritmain offender
phrase
(figurative) the primary cause of a disaster or problem
Examples
- 罪魁祸首。Qìhòu biànhuà shì xǔduō zìrán zāihài de zuì kuí huò shǒu.Climate change is the main culprit of many natural disasters.
- 罪魁祸首。Jǐngfāng zhōngyú zhuāhuò le zhège fànzuì tuánhuǒ de zuì kuí huò shǒu.The police finally captured the ringleader of this criminal gang.
- 罪魁祸首。Zhè cì shībài de zuì kuí huò shǒu shì tā de cūxīn dàyì.The main cause of this failure was his carelessness.
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