既往不咎

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Chinese

the past; that which happened in the past; mistakes in the past not; no blame
trad. (既往不咎) 既往
simp. #(既往不咎) 既往
anagram 不咎既往
Literally: “Things that are past, it is needless to blame.”

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 3 (《論語·八佾》):

:「夏后氏使戰栗。」:「成事遂事既往不咎。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
:「夏后氏使战栗。」:「成事遂事既往不咎。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE
Āigōng wèn shè yú Zǎi Wǒ. Zǎi Wǒ duìyuē: “Xiàhòushì yǐ sōng, yīnrén yǐ bǎi, zhōurén yǐ lì, yuē shǐ mín zhànlì.” Zǐ wén zhī yuē: “Chéngshì bùshuō, suìshì bùjiàn, jìwǎngbùjiù.”
Duke Ai asked Zai Wo about the altars of the spirits of the land. Zai Wo replied, "The Xia sovereign's clan planted the pine tree about them; the men of the Yin planted the cypress; and the men of the Zhou planted the chestnut tree, meaning thereby to cause the people to be trembling in awe." When the Master heard it, he said, "Things that are done, it is needless to speak about; things that have had their course, it is needless to remonstrate about; things that are past, it is needless to blame."

Pronunciation


Idiom

既往不咎

  1. to let bygones be bygones

Synonyms