What does 忠言逆耳 mean?

忠言逆耳 (zhōng yán nì ěr) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Honest advice”.

How do you pronounce 忠言逆耳?

忠言逆耳 is pronounced zhōng yán nì ěr in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 忠言逆耳 literally mean?

Literally, 忠言逆耳 means “Loyal words grate on the ear”. It is used to mean “Honest advice”.

Where does 忠言逆耳 come from?

忠言逆耳 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 忠言逆耳?

逆耳：不顺耳。正直的劝告听起来不顺耳，但有利于改正缺点错误。

忠言逆耳 — “Honest advice”

忠言逆耳 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Honest advice”. Though it may sound unpleasant to the ear, is beneficial for one's actions and for correcting mistakes. Literally, “Loyal words grate on the ear”.

Frequency

忠言逆耳 Pronunciation and Pinyin

忠zhōng
言yán
逆nì
耳ěr

忠言逆耳 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
忠	zhōng	8	loyal, faithful, devoted
言	yán	7	speak, say, words
逆	nì	10	go against or contrary
耳	ěr	6	ear, hearing, handle, only

Example Sentence with 忠言逆耳

虽然教练的批评有些严厉，但忠言逆耳，他的指导对我们团队的表现提升很有帮助。

Although the coach's criticism was a bit harsh, honest advice may be unpleasant to hear but beneficial; his guidance greatly helped improve our team's performance.

Origin and Story of 忠言逆耳

In 207 BC, Liu Bang led a large army to capture Xianyang and entered the Qin palace. He was captivated by the numerous beauties and countless treasures and planned to stay and enjoy them.

Fan Kuai advised him to prioritize the empire's welfare. Liu Bang dismissed his words.

However, his strategist Zhang Liang pointed out that such indulgence was precisely why the Qin dynasty had fallen, emphasizing that "loyal words may be unpleasant to hear, but they are beneficial to one's conduct." Liu Bang heeded this advice, withdrew his troops, and stationed them at Bashang to await Xiang Yu's arrival.

Idioms Related to 忠言逆耳

Synonyms of 忠言逆耳

Antonyms of 忠言逆耳

More idioms starting with 忠

Questions about 忠言逆耳

What does 忠言逆耳 mean?: 忠言逆耳 (zhōng yán nì ěr) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Honest advice”.
How do you pronounce 忠言逆耳?: 忠言逆耳 is pronounced zhōng yán nì ěr in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 忠言逆耳 literally mean?: Literally, 忠言逆耳 means “Loyal words grate on the ear”. It is used to mean “Honest advice”.
Where does 忠言逆耳 come from?: 忠言逆耳 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 忠言逆耳?: 逆耳：不顺耳。正直的劝告听起来不顺耳，但有利于改正缺点错误。

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