以德报德 — “To repay kindness with kindness”
以德报德 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to repay kindness with kindness”. To return good for good. Literally, “Repay kindness with kindness”.
Frequency
以德报德 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 以yǐ
- 德dé
- 报bào
- 德dé
以德报德 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 以德报德
对待帮助过我们的人，我们应该以德报德，而不是忘恩负义。
To those who have helped us, we should repay kindness with kindness, rather than being ungrateful.
Origin and Story of 以德报德
During the Spring and Autumn period, someone asked Confucius if it was appropriate to repay those who harbored resentment with kindness.
Confucius replied, "If I were to repay those who resent me with kindness, then how should I repay those who have shown me kindness?"
He continued, "Therefore, it is better to guide those who resent me with righteous principles. As for those who have shown me kindness, I should certainly repay them with kindness and gratitude."
Idioms Related to 以德报德
Antonyms of 以德报德
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 以德报德
- What does 以德报德 mean?
- 以德报德 (yǐ dé bào dé) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to repay kindness with kindness”.
- How do you pronounce 以德报德?
- 以德报德 is pronounced yǐ dé bào dé in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 以德报德 literally mean?
- Literally, 以德报德 means “Repay kindness with kindness”. It is used to mean “to repay kindness with kindness”.
- Where does 以德报德 come from?
- 以德报德 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 以德报德?
- 德：恩惠。用恩惠报答恩惠。