无妄之灾 wú wàng zhī zāi undeserved calamity

Explanation

指平白无故受到的灾祸或损害。

Refers to calamity or harm suffered without reason or fault.

Origin Story

战国时期，楚国有个大臣叫春申君，他为楚考烈王寻找继承人。他门客李园献计，将妹妹李嫣送给春申君做妾。李嫣生下一子，李园又设法让楚王将孩子收为己有，并立为太子。后来，春申君被李园所杀，有人说这是他招来的无妄之灾。这则故事中，春申君虽然没有直接的过错，但却因为卷入了权力的争斗，最终招致杀身之祸，这便是他所遭受的无妄之灾。他原本只是想为楚王寻找继承人，却没想到会因此而招致杀身之祸。这警示我们，在复杂的政治环境中，即使没有明显的过错，也可能因为各种因素而遭受不测。

zhànguó shíqī, chǔ guó yǒu ge dà chén jiào chūnshēn jūn, tā wèi chǔ kǎoliè wáng xún zhǎo jìchéng rén. tā ménkè lǐ yuán xiàn jì, jiāng mèimei lǐ yān sòng gěi chūnshēn jūn zuò qiè. lǐ yān shēng xià yī zǐ, lǐ yuán yòu shèfǎ ràng chǔ wáng jiāng háizi shōu wèi jǐ yǒu, bìng lì wèi tàizǐ. hòulái, chūnshēn jūn bèi lǐ yuán suǒ shā, yǒurén shuō zhè shì tā zhāo lái de wú wàng zhī zāi. zhè zé gùshì zhōng, chūnshēn jūn suīrán méiyǒu zhíjiē de guòcuò, què dàn yīnwèi juǎnrù le quánlì de zhēngdòu, zuìzhōng zhāozhì shāshēn zhī huò, zhè biàn shì tā suǒ shòushāng de wú wàng zhī zāi. tā yuánběn zhǐ shì xiǎng wèi chǔ wáng xún zhǎo jìchéng rén, què méi xiǎngdào huì yīncǐ ér zhāozhì shāshēn zhī huò. zhè jǐngshì wǒmen, zài fùzá de zhèngzhì huánjìng zhōng, jíshǐ méiyǒu míngxiǎn de guòcuò, yě kěnéng yīnwèi gèzhǒng yīnsù ér shòushāng bùcè.

During the Warring States period in China, there was a minister named Chun Shen Jun who was searching for an heir for King Kaolie of Chu. His follower Li Yuan suggested giving his sister Li Yan to Chun Shen Jun as a concubine. Li Yan gave birth to a son, and Li Yuan managed to have King Chu adopt the child and appoint him as the crown prince. Later, Chun Shen Jun was killed by Li Yuan. Some said it was an undeserved calamity he brought upon himself. In this story, Chun Shen Jun, although without direct fault, was involved in a power struggle and ultimately killed. This was the undeserved misfortune he suffered. He merely wanted to find an heir for King Chu, but he didn't expect to be killed because of this. It warns us that even in complex political environments, even without obvious wrongdoing, one may suffer unexpected setbacks due to various factors.

Usage

常用来形容意外的灾难或不幸。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng yìwài de zāinàn huò bùxìng

Often used to describe unexpected disasters or misfortunes.

Examples

• 他遭受了无妄之灾，家破人亡。

  tā shòushāng le wú wàng zhī zāi, jiā pò rén wáng

  He suffered an undeserved calamity and lost his home and family.

• 这场意外事故，真是无妄之灾。

  zhè chǎng yìwài shìgù, zhēnshi wú wàng zhī zāi

  This accident was a real undeserved disaster.

Related Idioms

• 飞来横祸

• 祸从天降

Opposite Idioms

• 安居乐业

• 岁月静好