‘Fèn shì jí sú’ describes a deep, bitter disillusionment with society and its conventions—someone who feels anger toward the world (愤世) and contempt for vulgar or hypocritical social norms (嫉俗). The four characters combine two parallel verb-object phrases: ‘fèn shì’ (to resent the world) and ‘jí sú’ (to detest the vulgar/commonplace), forming a fixed, literary idiom. It conveys more than simple skepticism; it implies moral outrage, intellectual alienation, and often a sense of superiority or withdrawal.

This term is commonly used to describe writers, intellectuals, or artists whose work reflects sharp social criticism—think of satirical novelists or disillusioned poets. It appears frequently in literary criticism, biographies, and discussions of modern Chinese thought. While historically associated with Confucian scholars protesting corruption, today it’s applied more broadly to anyone exhibiting sustained, principled cynicism—not just temporary frustration or casual sarcasm.