<p>Generally speaking, I encourage you to check out the meaning in Chinese when you encounter 成语. It took me a while to finally get to know that it is hard to understand what a given 成语 means in English but is clear enough once I read the explanation in Chinese (this holds true of any words but especially so in the case of 成语, which is closely related to the culture).</p>
<p>Back to the topic, 不择手段 means:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>指为达到某种目的，什么样的手段都可以使出来。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In English, the word means:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In order to achieve a goal, a person uses whatever he or she could (including anything considered immoral or dishonest by others).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Don't try to understand it by an English dictionary as the listed meaning is quite awkward and hard to grasp. For example, in the case of 不择手段:</p>
<blockquote>
<ol>
<li><p>unscrupulously</p>
</li>
<li><p>by fair means or foul</p>
</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<p>These explanations sound <em>less redundant</em>, but seems to me the loss of original meaning.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-22T06:49:29.670Z
Unscrupulous(ly) is quite fitting.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-22T06:52:19.317Z
@user3306356 According to my English dictionary, `unscrupulous` means `having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair`. This does not include the meaning of `指为达到某种目的`.
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-22T07:04:13.930Z
Sure but [他]为达目的不择手段 could easily be translated as He's unscrupulous.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-22T06:01:37.677Z
2018-03-22T06:01:37.677Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Blaszard
<p>他为达（他的）目的不择手段</p>

<p>In German it's easy: </p>

<p>Er geht über Leichen um seine Ziele zu erreichen.</p>

<p>English: He'll do anything to attain his ends.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-22T04:57:56.107Z
2018-03-22T04:57:56.107Z
Pedroski
<p>I’ll do whatever to achieve whatever.
and how about “by all means”?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-23T16:13:13.303Z
"by all means" sounds very neutral. I think you might want to add "including immoral ones" to provide the context
RandomEli
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-22T10:34:07.407Z
2018-03-22T10:34:07.407Z
S.Gu
<p>I have a lot of context that I want to use this phrase to describe a certain type of people. I tried to translate it as "Not being ashamed of using evil methods to accomplish goals". But I think my translation is still a little bit redundant and not formal enough. Can someone help me make it less redundant and more accurate?</p>

<p><strong>Update</strong></p>

<p>Sometimes the context might not be "by immoral means", it also encapsulated a context of "by unusual means". For ex, someone has solved an engineering problem by extremely brutal force which violated existing engineering standard and regulations, it works, but it also makes it way harder to integrate his solution into a more comprehensive system. Colleagues might think he's too achievement-oriented that breaks certain rules and conditions that other people have maintained.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-21T21:59:53.143Z
a literal translation seems to be "not be choosy about the means used to reach a goal"    
note:
为达目的 in order to attain  one's goal,
不择手段 bkrs: by fair means or foul
by hook or by crook
unscrupulously
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-22T03:45:35.460Z
How about: *nefarious*.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-23T15:51:03.993Z
@user6065 crook unscrupulously sounds legit.
RandomEli
<translation><chengyu>
How to correctly translate 为达目的不择手段 in English?
# How to correctly translate 为达目的不择手段 in English?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-03-21)

I have a lot of context that I want to use this phrase to describe a certain type of people. I tried to translate it as "Not being ashamed of using evil methods to accomplish goals". But I think my translation is still a little bit redundant and not formal enough. Can someone help me make it less redundant and more accurate?

**Update**

Sometimes the context might not be "by immoral means", it also encapsulated a context of "by unusual means". For ex, someone has solved an engineering problem by extremely brutal force which violated existing engineering standard and regulations, it works, but it also makes it way harder to integrate his solution into a more comprehensive system. Colleagues might think he's too achievement-oriented that breaks certain rules and conditions that other people have maintained.

**Tags:** translation, chengyu

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: a literal translation seems to be "not be choosy about the means used to reach a goal"     note: 为达目的 in order to attain  one's goal, 不择手段 bkrs: by fair means or foul by hook or by crook unscrupulously  
> **username_2**: How about: *nefarious*.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 crook unscrupulously sounds legit.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-03-22. Score: 2

Generally speaking, I encourage you to check out the meaning in Chinese when you encounter 成语. It took me a while to finally get to know that it is hard to understand what a given 成语 means in English but is clear enough once I read the explanation in Chinese (this holds true of any words but especially so in the case of 成语, which is closely related to the culture).

Back to the topic, 不择手段 means:

> 指为达到某种目的，什么样的手段都可以使出来。

In English, the word means:

> In order to achieve a goal, a person uses whatever he or she could (including anything considered immoral or dishonest by others).

Don't try to understand it by an English dictionary as the listed meaning is quite awkward and hard to grasp. For example, in the case of 不择手段:

> 1. unscrupulously
> 2. by fair means or foul

These explanations sound *less redundant*, but seems to me the loss of original meaning.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Unscrupulous(ly) is quite fitting.  
> **username_3**: @user3306356 According to my English dictionary, `unscrupulous` means `having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair`. This does not include the meaning of `指为达到某种目的`.  
> **username_2**: Sure but [他]为达目的不择手段 could easily be translated as He's unscrupulous.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-03-22. Score: 1

他为达（他的）目的不择手段

In German it's easy:

Er geht über Leichen um seine Ziele zu erreichen.

English: He'll do anything to attain his ends.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-03-22. Score: -1

I’ll do whatever to achieve whatever.
and how about “by all means”?

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: "by all means" sounds very neutral. I think you might want to add "including immoral ones" to provide the context  

---

