Chinese idiom · 成语
大快人心
Meaning
Greatly satisfying to hearts; widely welcomed justice.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical usageThe Mingshi's biography of Yu Maoxue records a memorial describing the dismissal of Pan Jixun as 大快人心. In that political criticism, the writer claims that a removal from office is deeply satisfying to people. The phrase is an assessment voiced within a historical dispute, not a narrator's guarantee that every person approved.
快 here means delight or relief, not speed. The expression now commonly describes satisfaction when a grievance is redressed, wrongdoing is exposed, or a harmful practice ends. The source is a historical biography concerning Ming politics, rather than an identified Ming novel with a generic victory over evil.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
平台终于清除了那些诈骗广告，真是大快人心。
The platform finally removed those scam advertisements—what a welcome relief.
Expresses strong satisfaction, often at the removal of something harmful or unjust.