Proverb / Kotowaza
悪事千里を走る
Bad deeds and negative rumors spread quickly to the world.
Bad deeds run a thousand ri.
Quick Answer
Bad deeds and negative rumors spread quickly to the world.
- Literal Image
- Bad deeds run a thousand ri.
- Closest Equivalent
- Bad news travels fast.
- How to Use It
- This expression is used when a mistake, scandal, or rumor about someone's bad behavior spreads rapidly throughout a community or industry.
Meaning
Bad actions, reputations, or scandals travel fast and become public knowledge in a very short time. It serves as a reminder that misdeeds are much harder to hide than good deeds, as people are quick to share negative news regardless of distance.
Literal Image
Bad deeds run a thousand ri.
Equivalent Proverbs
Bad news travels fast.
Focuses on the speed of news spreading, whereas the Japanese original focuses specifically on bad deeds.
How to Use It
This expression is used when a mistake, scandal, or rumor about someone's bad behavior spreads rapidly throughout a community or industry.
Tone
Cautionary and moralizing.
Examples
SNSの時代、悪事千里を走るのスピードはかつてないほど速い。
In the age of social media, the speed at which bad deeds travel a thousand ri is faster than ever before.
不正会計の噂はあっという間に業界中に広まった。悪事千里を走るとはこのことだ。
The rumor of accounting fraud spread through the industry in an instant. This is exactly what is meant by 'bad deeds run a thousand ri.'
悪事千里を走るというから、日頃から誠実な行動を心がけたい。
Since they say bad deeds travel a thousand ri, I want to keep sincere behavior in mind every day.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
The proverb uses familiar verbs like 'hashiru' but includes specific vocabulary like 'akuji' (bad deed) and the traditional unit of distance 'senri'.
悪事
あくじ / akuji
bad deed; evil act
千里
せんり / senri
thousand ri (long distance)
走る
はしる / hashiru
to run
Usage Profile
Usage note: While it describes how rumors spread, using it to describe someone's situation can sound like a direct criticism of their character.
Misread Risk
Do not mistake 'senri' as a literal distance of exactly 1,000 miles; in this context, it metaphorically represents a very long distance or spreading to every corner of society.
Search As
Related Proverbs
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.