What does 见异思迁 mean?

见异思迁 (jiàn yì sī qiān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be fickle”.

How do you pronounce 见异思迁?

见异思迁 is pronounced jiàn yì sī qiān in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 见异思迁 literally mean?

Literally, 见异思迁 means “See something different, think of changing”. It is used to mean “to be fickle”.

Where does 见异思迁 come from?

见异思迁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 见异思迁?

迁：变动。看见另一个事物就想改变原来的主意。指意志不坚定，喜爱不专一。

见异思迁 — “To be fickle”

见异思迁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be fickle”. To be inconstant; to change one's mind frequently upon seeing something new; to chop and change. Literally, “See something different, think of changing”.

Frequency

见异思迁 Pronunciation and Pinyin

见jiàn
异yì
思sī
迁qiān

见异思迁 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
见	jiàn	4	to see or meet
异	yì	6	different, unusual, strange
思	sī	9	think, ponder, miss
迁	qiān	7	move, relocate, or migrate

Example Sentence with 见异思迁

他在选择兴趣爱好上总是见异思迁，很难坚持做一件事。

He is always fickle about his hobbies and interests, finding it difficult to stick to one thing.

Origin and Story of 见异思迁

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong, the prime minister of the State of Qi, made significant contributions to the prosperity of his state.

Duke Huan of Qi asked Guan Zhong how he enabled the people to live in peace and contentment.

Guan Zhong replied that he divided the populace into four distinct professions: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

He arranged for them to live separately, which facilitated their ability to learn and specialize in their respective fields.

This arrangement prevented them from 'seeing something different and changing their original minds' (见异物而迁), thereby ensuring their stable livelihoods and contentment.

Idioms Related to 见异思迁

Synonyms of 见异思迁

sān三xīn心èr二yì意to be indecisive or half-hearted

Antonyms of 见异思迁

More idioms starting with 见

Questions about 见异思迁

What does 见异思迁 mean?: 见异思迁 (jiàn yì sī qiān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be fickle”.
How do you pronounce 见异思迁?: 见异思迁 is pronounced jiàn yì sī qiān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 见异思迁 literally mean?: Literally, 见异思迁 means “See something different, think of changing”. It is used to mean “to be fickle”.
Where does 见异思迁 come from?: 见异思迁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 见异思迁?: 迁：变动。看见另一个事物就想改变原来的主意。指意志不坚定，喜爱不专一。

Copy the pinyin for 见异思迁 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.