师出有名 — “To have a just cause or legitimate reason for one's actions”

师出有名 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have a just cause or legitimate reason for one's actions”. Particularly when taking significant or potentially forceful measures. Literally, “Troops set out with a name/justification”.

Frequency

师出有名 Pronunciation and Pinyin

师出有名 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
师	shī	6	teacher, master, or division
出	chū	5	go or come out
有	yǒu	6	to have or to exist
名	míng	6	name, reputation, famous

Example Sentence with 师出有名

在发起这项社区公益活动之前，我们必须师出有名，确保有充分的理由和明确的目标。

Before launching this community welfare activity, we must have a just cause, ensuring there are sufficient reasons and clear objectives.

Origin and Story of 师出有名

During the Chu-Han Contention, Liu Bang seized an opportunity when Xiang Yu marched north to attack King Tian Rong of Qi. Liu Bang crossed the Yellow River from Linjin in Shaanxi, subdued King Bao of Wei, and then captured Luoyang.

Dong Gong, a strategist from Xincheng County, advised Liu Bang to find a "just cause" (师出有名) for his military campaign. Dong Gong reminded Liu Bang that Xiang Yu had treacherously murdered Emperor Yi.

Liu Bang had publicly mourned Emperor Yi for three days, a move that garnered significant support from various feudal lords. With this legitimate reason and widespread backing, Liu Bang successfully launched an offensive and captured Pengcheng, the capital of Chu.