noun
rebellious subject; traitor
A yojijukugo referring to a vassal who betrays their lord and defies moral order, often used in historical or literary contexts.
彼は主君に背いた乱臣賊子として歴史に名を残した。
He went down in history as a rebellious subject who betrayed his lord.
A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 乱 (disorder), 臣 (vassal), 賊 (bandit), and 子 (child/person), literally 'disorderly vassal, thieving person'.