CYChengyu Dictionary

Chengyu meaning

因果报应 (yīn guǒ bào yìng)

cause and effect; karmic consequence

Plain Answer

Source: Buddhist and folk moral-consequence usage. Treated here as proverb image; read it first as a sentence-level judgment.

Core meaning: 因果报应 means cause and effect; karmic consequence: Used to describe moral consequence, karmic return, or the idea that actions eventually bring corresponding results.

Practice this meaning
Label
neutral / common reflective Chinese
Best objects
ethical consequence, literary theme, usage boundary
Do not use when
Do not use 因果报应 for a scene that only shares one surface word with the meaning. If the problem is closer to 塞翁失马 or the contrast points toward 掉以轻心, choose that nearby entry instead of stretching this one.

Use: Use 因果报应 when the ethical consequence sentence shows the object, cause, and tone clearly. Avoid: Avoid 因果报应 when the sentence only sounds related, lacks evidence, or needs a plainer word.

ethical consequence他长期欺骗客户，最后失去信誉，也算是因果报应。Tā chángqī qīpiàn kèhù, zuìhòu shīqù xìnyù, yě suàn shì yīnguǒbàoyìng.He deceived customers for a long time and finally lost credibility; that is a kind of moral consequence.

Next: Read the examples, then compare 塞翁失马 before practicing 因果报应 in the focused quiz.

Often studied with: 塞翁失马, 改邪归正, 物极必反

Read This First

因果报应 is introduced here through a proverb or image-based phrase with a learner-safe source boundary; the source label is Buddhist and folk moral-consequence usage, and the page separates that background from modern sentence choice.

因果报应 means cause and effect; karmic consequence. The important first reading is Used to describe moral consequence, karmic return, or the idea that actions eventually bring corresponding results. This is a neutral phrase in normal use, so the sentence must show the judgment clearly.

Use 因果报应 when the object, cause, and tone match examples such as ethical consequence, literary theme, usage boundary; then compare 塞翁失马 and 改邪归正 before writing your own sentence.

Avoid 因果报应 when the sentence only shares a broad topic, when the tone would be unfair to the person being described, or when a plainer word would be clearer than a chengyu.

Start with this cue: ethical consequence plus a visible reason.

Meaning and Translation Notes

Used to describe moral consequence, karmic return, or the idea that actions eventually bring corresponding results.

Literal meaning

causes, results, and retribution

  • 因 / cause
  • 果 / result
  • 报应 / retribution or consequence

English equivalents

  • karma near

    Natural but culturally broad, so use carefully.

  • moral consequence plain

    Best when explaining without religious framing.

  • cause and effect comes back plain

    Useful for everyday speech.

How To Use It

Use 因果报应 when the reader can see why cause and effect; karmic consequence is the exact judgment, not just the topic. A strong sentence names the actor, the thing being judged, and the evidence that makes this idiom more precise than an ordinary adjective.

  • Use it when action and later consequence are morally linked.
  • It may carry Buddhist or folk-religious color, but everyday use can be broader.
  • The phrase can sound severe, especially when judging another person's misfortune.

Common Mistakes

Do not use 因果报应 for a scene that only shares one surface word with the meaning. If the problem is closer to 塞翁失马 or the contrast points toward 掉以轻心, choose that nearby entry instead of stretching this one.

  • Do not use it for neutral cause and effect in science or engineering.
  • Do not use karma automatically if the context is secular and only means moral consequence.

Wrong Use Clinic

The most useful check is often the phrase you should reject.

  1. The learner wants to sound more idiomatic but has only a broad topic match for 因果报应.

    The sentence drops in 因果报应 without showing the cause, object, or tone that would make the idiom necessary.

    Fix: Rewrite the sentence so the evidence for cause and effect; karmic consequence appears before or after the phrase.

    因果报应 fails in this case because a chengyu is not decoration; it must name the exact judgment the sentence is making.

    Compare sai weng shi ma

  2. The learner wants to say the opposite or a neighboring idea and chooses 因果报应 because it feels familiar.

    The sentence uses 因果报应, but the described situation points to a different cause, time point, or social attitude.

    Fix: Compare the sentence with 掉以轻心 and choose the phrase whose boundary explains the situation with less force.

    因果报应 becomes misleading when the nearby phrase would identify the real problem more cleanly.

    Compare diao yi qing xin

  3. The learner has the right meaning area for 因果报应 but ignores register and emotional force.

    The sentence uses 因果报应 directly about a person, yet gives no softening context or evidence for such a moral, reflective, sometimes severe judgment.

    Fix: Add the observed behavior first, or choose 改邪归正 if the sentence needs a gentler learning path.

    因果报应 can sound heavier than a short English gloss. The reader needs enough context to see why the tone is fair.

    Compare gai xie gui zheng

  4. The learner remembers the origin image of 因果报应 but applies it to the wrong object.

    The sentence names an image or story detail, but the real object being judged would be better explained by another chengyu.

    Fix: Name the object first. If the object points toward 好逸恶劳, use that contrast instead.

    因果报应 should follow the judgment, not the most memorable image. Story memory is useful only when it supports the sentence-level decision.

    Compare hao yi wu lao

Chengyu Often Studied Together

Use these clusters to build sentence-level judgment instead of memorizing a single gloss.

  1. 因果报应 with nearby learner choices

    因果报应 is often studied beside 塞翁失马 and 改邪归正 because the words share a theme while asking the learner to judge a different cause, tone, or timing.

    老师先让学生解释因果报应，再比较塞翁失马和改邪归正，这样不会只凭英文近义词选答案。

    sai weng shi magai xie gui zheng

  2. 因果报应 with contrast checks

    因果报应 becomes easier to use when it is contrasted with 物极必反 and 掉以轻心; the contrast forces the writer to decide whether the sentence is praise, warning, correction, or neutral description.

    写作练习里先用因果报应造句，再换成物极必反，观察判断方向怎样改变。

    wu ji bi fandiao yi qing xinsai weng shi ma

  3. 因果报应 in example-building drills

    因果报应 should be practiced with 塞翁失马 and 物极必反 because examples reveal whether the learner is choosing by meaning, tone, or only by a remembered image.

    课堂上先用因果报应写一个有证据的句子，再换成塞翁失马或物极必反说明判断为什么改变。

    sai weng shi mawu ji bi fangai xie gui zheng

  4. 因果报应 in story and source review

    因果报应 links best with 改邪归正 and 掉以轻心 when the learner is checking whether a source image truly supports a modern sentence.

    复习出处时，不要只背因果报应的故事，还要比较改邪归正，看哪个成语更能解释现代句子。

    gai xie gui zhengdiao yi qing xinsai weng shi ma

Learner Guide

Use these notes when deciding whether this chengyu fits a real sentence.

Use 因果报应 when action and later result are morally connected. A person deceives others and loses trust, a character harms people and later faces ruin, or a story traces greed into consequence. The phrase asks the reader to see an ethical line between cause and outcome.

Karma is natural English in many everyday settings, but it can overstate the religious frame. Moral consequence is clearer for neutral explanation. Poetic justice works when the result feels narratively fitting, especially in fiction or commentary.

Do not use 因果报应 for neutral technical causality. A machine failing because a part overheated is cause and effect, not this phrase, unless the sentence is deliberately moralizing. Also be careful when judging real suffering; the phrase can sound severe or cold.

A strong example should name both the action and the return. Cheating customers and losing credibility, exploiting others and losing support, or planting kindness and receiving trust can all fit. If the sentence only says something bad happened, the moral link is missing.

Before using 因果报应, write the plain English idea first. If the plain sentence already says everything naturally, the chengyu must add a sharper judgment, cultural image, or tone. If it does not add one of those, leave the plain wording alone.

A good 因果报应 sentence contains an object and evidence. The object is the person, plan, habit, result, or scene being judged. The evidence is the reason the phrase fits. Without both parts, the idiom may look learned but feel empty.

Compare 因果报应 with 塞翁失马 and 掉以轻心 before finalizing a sentence. The goal is not to memorize synonyms; the goal is to reject the wrong phrase for a clear reason. That rejection is what turns recognition into usable knowledge.

When teaching or self-reviewing 因果报应, ask the learner to mark source, meaning, use case, wrong case, and one example. If any mark is missing, return to the entry section that supplies it rather than guessing from the headword alone.

ethical consequence is the first test zone for 因果报应, but it is not the only possible use. Before using the phrase, name the speaker, the object being judged, and the nearest tested context: ethical consequence, literary theme, usage boundary, misuse boundary, comparison check, context setup, teacher correction, translation choice. Then choose among karma, moral consequence, cause and effect comes back as translation candidates and reject at least one candidate out loud. A useful final check is to compare the sentence with sai-weng-shi-ma and gai-xie-gui-zheng; if one of those nearby entries explains the situation with less strain, the nearby phrase is the better learner choice.

When 因果报应 is translated as karma, the English should still preserve the phrase's tone. Keep moral, reflective, sometimes severe and the wisdom use area visible when the audience is still learning the idiom. If a short translation hides the warning "Do not use it for neutral cause and effect in science or engineering.", choose a fuller English explanation instead. This matters because the strongest chengyu pages should help readers decide when not to use the most convenient English equivalent.

Example Sentences

Each example labels the situation so you can choose a natural English translation.

ethical consequence

他长期欺骗客户，最后失去信誉，也算是因果报应。

Tā chángqī qīpiàn kèhù, zuìhòu shīqù xìnyù, yě suàn shì yīnguǒbàoyìng.

He deceived customers for a long time and finally lost credibility; that is a kind of moral consequence.

literary theme

这部小说不断讨论因果报应，但不只是简单的惩罚故事。

Zhè bù xiǎoshuō bùduàn tǎolùn yīnguǒbàoyìng, dàn bù zhǐshì jiǎndān de chéngfá gùshi.

This novel keeps exploring karmic consequence, but it is not just a simple punishment story.

usage boundary

日常说因果报应时，不一定是在讲严格的宗教概念。

Rìcháng shuō yīnguǒbàoyìng shí, bù yīdìng shì zài jiǎng yángé de zōngjiào gàiniàn.

In everyday speech, this phrase does not always refer to a strict religious concept.

misuse boundary

如果只是普通情况，不要为了显得有文化而硬说因果报应。

ru guo zhi shi pu tong qing kuang bu yao wei le xian de you wen hua er ying shuo yin guo bao ying

If the situation is ordinary, do not force 因果报应 just to make the sentence sound more cultured.

comparison check

比较近义成语以后，再决定这里是不是应该写因果报应。

bi jiao jin yi cheng yu yi hou zai jue ding zhe li shi bu shi ying gai xie yin guo bao ying

After comparing nearby chengyu, decide whether 因果报应 is really the phrase the sentence needs.

context setup

这段话先说明对象和原因，所以因果报应读起来不突兀。

zhe duan hua xian shuo ming dui xiang he yuan yin suo yi yin guo bao ying du qi lai bu tu wu

The passage names the object and cause first, so 因果报应 does not feel abrupt.

teacher correction

老师让学生先解释为什么不用别的词，再用因果报应造句。

lao shi rang xue sheng xian jie shi wei shen me bu yong bie de ci zai yong yin guo bao ying zao ju

The teacher asks students to explain why another phrase would be wrong before writing a sentence with 因果报应.

translation choice

翻译时可以先写普通英文，再判断因果报应是否让意思更准确。

fan yi shi ke yi xian xie pu tong ying wen zai pan duan yin guo bao ying shi fou rang yi si geng zhun que

When translating, write plain English first, then decide whether 因果报应 makes the meaning more accurate.

Story and Cultural Context

因果报应 carries religious and moral history, but modern use ranges from Buddhist karma to everyday poetic justice. The phrase joins cause, result, and response: actions do not disappear; they return as consequences. English speakers should avoid using it for ordinary technical causality. It belongs to moral narrative, fiction, social judgment, and reflective speech. It can also sound severe, so context should show whether the speaker is explaining, warning, or condemning. 因果报应 links action and consequence through a moral lens. It may carry Buddhist or folk-religious color, but everyday use can also mean poetic justice or moral return without a formal religious claim. The phrase is not the same as scientific cause and effect. It belongs to stories, warnings, judgments, and reflections where a person's conduct seems to return as consequence. English speakers should choose karma only when that religious or cultural tone fits the sentence. For this entry, the origin note is only the beginning of the explanation. The useful question is why 因果报应 survived as a portable judgment rather than as a decorative allusion. The image-based usage route gives the reader an image, but the modern sentence must still prove its own fit. A learner should ask three things: what concrete object is being judged, what evidence in the sentence supports that judgment, and what tone the phrase adds that a plain English adjective would not add. This is why the page tests 因果报应 through ethical consequence, literary theme, usage boundary, misuse boundary, comparison check; each context changes the pressure on the phrase and shows whether the idiom is acting as praise, warning, neutral description, or criticism. The story or usage background also has a translation boundary. 因果报应 can point toward karma, moral consequence, cause and effect comes back, but those English choices are not interchangeable. One version may preserve the image, another may sound natural in a classroom answer, and another may be safer in a workplace or essay sentence. The entry therefore treats public references as source cards, not as a paragraph order to imitate. Headword checks, story labels, and English equivalents are separated first; only after that are they rebuilt into the learner path used here: answer, label, examples, wrong-use clinic, comparison, story, and practice. The most common failure is overextension. Because 因果报应 has a memorable surface, learners may reach for it whenever a topic feels close. The better habit is to compare it with 塞翁失马 and 改邪归正 and with 掉以轻心 and 好逸恶劳 before writing. If the rejected phrase is hard to reject, the sentence probably has not supplied enough evidence. If the rejected phrase is easy to reject, the learner can explain the boundary and use 因果报应 with confidence. That is the practical purpose of the origin section: it turns cultural memory into a sentence-level decision instead of leaving the reader with a story and no next action.

Learning point: The phrase links action and consequence through a moral lens, not just mechanical causation.

Editorial Notes

These notes turn the entry into a decision path, not a loose definition.

First answer before details

因果报应 should first be read as a decision about cause and effect; karmic consequence, not as a collectible story label. The image logic helps memory, but the reader's real task is to decide whether the modern sentence is making a neutral judgment with enough evidence. Start with the object being described, then ask what happened, who is being judged, and whether the tone is fair. If those details are missing, the idiom will feel like learned decoration rather than useful Chinese. This first-answer rule also helps teachers and translators: they can explain the phrase quickly before deciding whether a longer story, comparison, or correction block is needed.

Example clinic

The examples for 因果报应 deliberately cover ethical consequence, literary theme, usage boundary, misuse boundary, comparison check because a learner needs more than one successful sentence before the phrase becomes usable. Read the Chinese sentence, then explain in plain English why this phrase is more precise than a simple adjective or loose translation. A strong example names the context, shows the evidence, and makes the tone visible. A weak example merely places the chengyu near a related topic. This habit prevents a common error: remembering the literal image but forgetting the social judgment carried by the phrase. When the example feels forced, return to the meaning line and choose a plainer wording.

Comparison boundary

Before using 因果报应, compare it with 塞翁失马 and 改邪归正 and, when possible, with 掉以轻心 and 好逸恶劳. The comparison is not a synonym game. Nearby chengyu often share effort, caution, wisdom, or evaluation as a topic, while differing in cause, timing, and emotional force. A good learner sentence can explain why the rejected phrase fails. If that explanation is impossible, the chosen idiom is probably too loose. This is also the cleanest internal-link reason: the next page exists because it helps the reader reject a tempting but wrong choice. The comparison should leave a reusable rule, not merely another link to click.

Wrong-use trigger

因果报应 should be rejected when the sentence lacks an object, hides the reason for the judgment, or uses the idiom only because it sounds literary. The safest correction is to rewrite the sentence in plain English first, then add the chengyu only if it sharpens the meaning. If the tone becomes unfair, choose a gentler nearby phrase. If the source image is memorable but the modern object does not match, use the story only as background and do not force the idiom into the sentence. This wrong-use trigger is what keeps the entry from becoming a long but vague dictionary page.

Source synthesis note

因果报应 uses public references as checkpoints rather than as a structure to copy. One source may help with the headword, another with a story or image, and another with English translation range. The page then rebuilds those checks into its own learner order: short answer, label, examples, misuse, collocation, guide, story, and practice. This matters because a single-source paraphrase would give readers a familiar-looking article but not a better learning tool. The editorial value here is the decision path: what to use, what not to use, what to compare, and how to test the phrase in a new sentence.

Practice This Decision

Answer a focused quiz question, then come back to the examples and misuse clinic if the near phrase feels tempting.

Start focused quizReview mistakes first