1.
rewarding good and punishing evil; poetic justice
A moral principle and narrative theme in which good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished. Commonly used to describe stories, dramas, and cultural works that follow this clear-cut moral framework.
勧善懲悪の物語。
A story of good triumphing over evil.
時代劇は勧善懲悪が多い。
Period dramas often feature good-versus-evil storylines.
子供向けのアニメは勧善懲悪の構造がはっきりしている。
Children's anime have a clear good-versus-evil structure.
A four-character compound (四字熟語): 勧 (encourage) + 善 (good) + 懲 (punish) + 悪 (evil). This is one of the foundational moral themes in East Asian literature and drama.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
This concept is central to traditional Japanese storytelling. Period dramas (時代劇) like 水戸黄門 and 遠山の金さん are classic examples — the hero always defeats the villain and justice prevails. Modern usage sometimes carries a slightly dismissive tone, implying the story is simplistic or predictable.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 勧善懲悪の物語 — a good-versus-evil story
- 勧善懲悪もの — a work with a good-vs-evil theme
- 勧善懲悪の精神 — the spirit of rewarding good and punishing evil
RELATED TERMS:
- 因果応報 — karmic retribution; what goes around comes around
- 自業自得 — reaping what you sow; getting what you deserve
- 正義 — justice; righteousness