Chinese idiom · 成语
千夫所指
Meaning
Pointed at by a thousand; universally condemned.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical account of a proverbThe related wording 千人所指 appears in the Hanshu biography of Wang Jia. Objecting to Emperor Ai's excessive favors toward Dong Xian, Wang argues that public resources are being used for private generosity and that resentment has spread widely. He invokes an existing popular proverb: a person condemned by a thousand people may die even without illness.
The saying is rhetorical language about the dangerous weight of public condemnation, not a medical claim. Since Wang explicitly introduces it as a proverb, the biography records rather than invents it. 千夫所指 is a later equivalent form: the thousand stands for a multitude, and pointing means accusation or censure.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
挪用救灾捐款的行为一经曝光，就遭到千夫所指。
As soon as the misuse of disaster-relief donations was exposed, it drew widespread condemnation.
Strong expression for public outrage, not a small disagreement.