以力服人 — “To subdue people by force or coercion”
以力服人 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to subdue people by force or coercion”. To enforce obedience through power rather than conviction. Literally, “To subdue people by force”.
Frequency
以力服人 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 以yǐ
- 力lì
- 服fú
- 人rén
以力服人 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 以力服人
一个真正的领导者，不应该以力服人，而应该以德服人。
A true leader should not subdue people by force, but rather win people over with virtue.
Origin and Story of 以力服人
During the Warring States period, Mencius traveled to various states to advocate his philosophy of benevolence.
Some people argued that one could still achieve dominance through military force, rendering benevolence unnecessary.
Mencius responded, "To dominate by military force requires a foundation of national wealth and a strong populace; it involves subjugating people by force, not by genuine conviction. However, to dominate through benevolence allows people to be truly convinced and willingly submit, which in turn makes the nation powerful."
Idioms Related to 以力服人
Synonyms of 以力服人
Antonyms of 以力服人
More idioms starting with 以
- yǐ以yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一fèng奉bǎi百one producer supports a hundred consumers
- yǐ以yī一dāng当shí十fight with the strength of ten men
- yǐ以yī一dāng当bǎi百one person effective as a hundred
- yǐ以yī一chí持wàn万Grasp key to control the whole
- yǐ以yī一zhī知wàn万infer many from one
- yǐ以yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
- yǐ以yī一yù驭wàn万Control many by grasping the fundamental
- yǐ以bù不biàn变yìng应wàn万biàn变respond to change with no change
- yǐ以fǒu不jì济kě可help succeed by negating incorrect ideas
- yǐ以fēng丰bǔ补qiàn歉save in times of plenty for scarcity
- yǐ以wéi为kǒu口shí实provide material for criticism
Questions about 以力服人
- What does 以力服人 mean?
- 以力服人 (yǐ lì fú rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to subdue people by force or coercion”.
- How do you pronounce 以力服人?
- 以力服人 is pronounced yǐ lì fú rén in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 以力服人 literally mean?
- Literally, 以力服人 means “to subdue people by force”. It is used to mean “to subdue people by force or coercion”.
- Where does 以力服人 come from?
- 以力服人 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 以力服人?
- 力：权势，武力。用强制手段使人服从。