卑鄙无耻 (Bēi bǐ wú chǐ)

Basic Info

Chinese Idiom: 卑鄙无耻 (Bēi bǐ wú chǐ)
Pinyin: bēi bǐ wú chǐ
Literal meaning: “Despicable and shameless.”
(卑鄙 = base / mean / despicable; 无耻 = without shame / shameless)

Note: As with “卑鄙龌龊,” the classical sense of “卑鄙” was “low in rank or position,” but in modern Chinese it means “morally base and despicable.” Here the moral sense is unmistakable.

Figurative Definition

It describes a person who is both morally base and completely without shame – someone who commits dishonorable acts and feels no embarrassment, guilt, or remorse about them. The emphasis falls on “无耻”: it is not just that they do wrong, but that they are brazenly unashamed of it.

It is used to condemn:

Corrupt officials who flatter, scheme, and plunder without conscience.
People who betray others and then act as if nothing happened.
Anyone who lies, cheats, or grovels shamelessly for personal gain.

In short: low in character and utterly without shame.

A useful distinction: “卑鄙无耻” emphasizes shamelessness; “卑鄙龌龊” emphasizes filth and sordidness. The two are near-synonyms and often used interchangeably.

Cultural & Historical Origin

This idiom comes from the Qing Dynasty satirical novel Guanchang Xianxingji (《官场现形记》 – “Officialdom Unmasked”) by Li Baojia (李宝嘉), Chapter 27:

“贾某总办河工，浮开报销，滥得保举。到京之后，又复花天酒地，任意招摇，并串通市侩黄某，到处钻营，卑鄙无耻。”

“A certain Jia, managing river works, inflated his expense reports and obtained promotions recklessly. After arriving in the capital, he again indulged in a life of debauchery, brazenly showing off everywhere, and colluded with a shady merchant named Huang to scheme and curry favor on all sides – despicable and shameless.”

The novel is one of the most famous exposés of late Qing bureaucratic corruption. Li Baojia’s target was the moral rot of officialdom: men who embezzled public funds, flattered their superiors, and lived in luxury while the country decayed. The phrase “卑鄙无耻” was the writer’s blunt verdict on such people – not merely corrupt, but shameless.

The idiom reflects a core Chinese moral value: shame (耻). In Confucian thought, a sense of shame is what separates a moral person from a beast. Someone who is “无耻” has lost the most basic moral compass – they can no longer be trusted or reformed.

Key Lesson

Shamelessness is the deepest form of corruption. The idiom teaches that wrongdoing without shame is worse than wrongdoing with remorse. A person who feels no disgrace can commit any act, because nothing restrains them from within. The wise person guards their sense of shame as a precious moral asset – it is what keeps us honest when no one is watching. At the same time, the idiom warns us to recognize shamelessness in others and not be fooled by their brazen confidence.

Cultural Note

In modern Chinese, “卑鄙无耻” is a strong, blunt, and severely condemnatory idiom. It appears in:

Political and social criticism – condemning corrupt officials and unscrupulous figures.
Everyday strong condemnation – “这种卑鄙无耻的小人，大家都很讨厌。” (“Everyone despises this despicable and shameless person.”)
Literary and dramatic description – portraying villains without conscience.
Personal disputes – when someone feels deeply betrayed by another’s shameless conduct.

Its near-synonyms are “厚颜无耻” (hòu yán wú chǐ – “thick-faced and shameless”) and “卑鄙龌龊” (base and filthy). Its opposite is “光明磊落” (guāng míng lěi luò – “open and aboveboard”).

“卑鄙无耻” is more colloquial and direct than “卑鄙龌龊” – it is the phrase you would use in everyday anger, while “卑鄙龌龊” carries a slightly more literary, sordid tone.

Similar English Expressions

Despicable and shameless – The most direct and natural equivalent.
Shameless – Lacking any sense of shame – the core of 无耻.
Brazen – Boldly shameless.
Contemptible – Worthy of contempt.
Without a shred of shame – Emphasizing total shamelessness.
To have no shame – A direct everyday equivalent.
Unscrupulous – Without moral scruples (related).
A scoundrel / A cad – Noun forms for such a person.

The closest and most natural equivalents are “despicable and shameless,” “brazen,” and “without a shred of shame.”

In short, “卑鄙无耻” means despicable and shameless – a blunt, severe Chinese idiom for moral baseness combined with a total lack of shame, drawn from a Qing Dynasty exposé of corrupt officialdom, and a timeless reminder that a person who has lost their sense of shame has lost the last guard against doing wrong.