不得人心 — “Unpopular”

不得人心 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Unpopular”. Not gaining people's support or approval; contrary to public sentiment. Literally, “Cannot gain people's hearts/support”.

Frequency

不得人心 Pronunciation and Pinyin

不得人心 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
不	bù	4	not
得	dé	11	obtain, must, or suitable
人	rén	2	human being, person
心	xīn	4	heart, mind, core

Example Sentence with 不得人心

他提出的方案因为考虑不周，最终在会议上不得人心

His proposal, due to its lack of thorough consideration, ultimately failed to gain popular support at the meeting.

Origin and Story of 不得人心

During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang, rebelled. The imperial court dispatched forces led by Feng Changqing and others, but they were defeated. Consequently, Ge Shuhan, the military governor of Hexi who was recuperating from illness, was called upon to lead the army against the rebels.

Ge Shuhan believed that An Lushan's nominal reason for rebellion (eliminating the treacherous minister Yang Guozhong) was merely a pretext for usurping the Tang dynasty's throne, and such an act would be unpopular. He advocated a strategy of sowing discord among the enemy. However, Emperor Xuanzong was impatient for a swift victory, compelling Ge Shuhan to launch a direct engagement, which ultimately led to a devastating defeat for the imperial forces.