tyrannical and atrocious; violent and cruel
A strong yojijukugo describing extreme cruelty and tyranny, often used for rulers, regimes, or brutal acts.
The people could not endure the king's tyrannical and atrocious behavior.
歴史には暴虐非道の限りを尽くした独裁者の記録が残っている。
History records dictators who committed every kind of violent cruelty.
A yojijukugo composed of 暴虐 (tyranny, violence) and 非道 (inhumanity, injustice). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination intensifies the meaning of extreme cruelty.