嫉恶如仇

jí è rú chóu

to hate evil as one hates a personal enemy

Character by character

嫉jí
hate

恶è
evil

如rú
like

仇chóu
a foe

老局长嫉恶如仇，最见不得有人欺负老百姓。

The old bureau chief hates wrongdoing like a personal enemy and cannot bear to see ordinary people bullied.

Tone: positive (praise).

Also written 疾恶如仇. 恶 is è (evil) here, not wù (to loathe). Said of upright officials, judges and journalists; in the novel 鲁智深 is its very picture.

Learn this in Lesson 250 · HSK 9+: 梁山好汉的绰号 (The nicknames of the Water Margin heroes)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.