sinful debt; metaphorical debt one must repay for wrongdoing
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
a debt incurred from evil deeds; karmic debt
literaryA term with Buddhist undertones suggesting that wrongdoing creates a karmic debt that must be repaid in this life or the next. Often used metaphorically in modern contexts for emotional debts or unshakable consequences of one's actions.
Zài在
Fó佛
jiào教
guān观
niàn念
zhōng中
，
jīn今
shēng生
de的
kǔ苦
nàn难
kě可
néng能
shì是
wèi为
le了
cháng偿
huán还
qián前
shì世
de的
niè孽
zhài债
。
In Buddhist belief, the suffering of this life may be to repay the karmic debt from a past life.
Tā他
nián年
qīng轻
shí时
fàn犯
xià下
de的
cuò错
，
rú如
jīn今
chéng成
le了
tā他
xīn心
tóu头
yī一
bǐ笔
chén沉
zhòng重
de的
niè孽
zhài债
。
The mistakes he made in his youth have now become a heavy debt on his conscience.
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Nà那
duàn段
shī失
bài败
de的
gǎn感
qíng情
，
xiàng像
shì是
tā他
yǒng永
yuǎn远
huán还
bù不
qīng清
de的
niè孽
zhài债
。
That failed relationship is like a debt he can never repay.