义无反顾
- Literal
- duty allows no looking back
- Figurative
- To press ahead without hesitation or second thoughts toward what one feels is a duty or a just cause; admiring and somewhat solemn.
Where does 义无反顾 come from?
It comes from a proclamation by the poet Sima Xiangru in the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. The levies and labor for opening a route to the southwest had spread alarm through the lands of Ba and Shu, and the emperor sent him to calm the population. In his "Proclamation to Ba and Shu" he praised the soldiers of the frontier commanderies who, facing bare blades and arrows, did not look back because duty required it; the text reads 义不反顾, with 不 instead of 无. Today it describes someone who commits resolutely to a cause or an obligation, without faltering.
Source (出处): 司马相如《喻巴蜀檄》
How is 义无反顾 used? Two examples
- 山火一烧起来，消防员们义无反顾地冲了上去。
The moment the wildfire broke out, the firefighters charged straight in without a second thought.
- 朋友被人冤枉，他义无反顾地站出来替朋友作证。
When his friend was wrongly accused, he stepped forward without hesitation to testify for him.
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