These characters combine to create a vivid and damning picture: “greedy and dirty, rotten and ruined.” This illustrates the moral and societal decay that results from officials abusing their power.
`贪污腐败` is a concept of immense importance in China, far more than “corruption” is in casual Western discourse. Historically, the legitimacy of a ruling dynasty was tied to the concept of the “Mandate of Heaven” (天命 - tiānmìng). Widespread corruption was seen as a sign that a dynasty had become morally bankrupt and was losing this mandate, often presaging its collapse. In modern China, this legacy continues. The government's legitimacy is deeply connected to its perceived ability to govern effectively and justly. Therefore, `贪污腐败` is seen not just as a crime but as a fundamental threat to the stability and authority of the state. This is why President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign (反腐败运动 - fǎn fǔbài yùndòng) has been so central to his rule. The campaign's slogan, “hitting tigers and swatting flies” (打老虎、拍苍蝇 - dǎ lǎohǔ, pāi cāngying), means targeting both high-level (“tigers”) and low-level (“flies”) corrupt officials. Comparison to Western “Corruption”: While the English word “corruption” covers similar acts, `贪污腐败` is almost exclusively used for official corruption by those in positions of public trust. You would not use it to describe a corrupted computer file or the moral corruption of a character in a novel. Furthermore, the term is a central piece of state rhetoric and public consciousness in China in a way that “corruption” is not in most Western countries. It is a constant feature of news headlines and a primary justification for political policy.
`贪污腐败` is used in both formal and informal contexts but always carries a serious and negative connotation.