以德服人 — “To win people over by virtue”
以德服人 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to win people over by virtue”. To subdue others through moral influence rather than force. Literally, “subdue people by virtue”.
以德服人 Pronunciation and Pinyin
以德服人 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 以德服人
Origin and Story of 以德服人
During the Warring States period, Mencius traveled to various states, advocating his philosophy of benevolence.
Some people argued that one could still achieve dominance through military force, rendering the concept of benevolence unnecessary.
Mencius responded, "Dominating by force must be based on a prosperous nation and a strong populace. However, this is merely physical subjugation, not genuine heartfelt submission. In contrast, ruling by virtue allows people to willingly and genuinely submit, which in turn leads to true national strength."
Idioms Related to 以德服人
Antonyms of 以德服人
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
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Open the tool →Questions about 以德服人
What does 以德服人 mean?
以德服人 (yǐ dé fú rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to win people over by virtue”.
How do you pronounce 以德服人?
以德服人 is pronounced yǐ dé fú rén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 以德服人 literally mean?
Literally, 以德服人 means “subdue people by virtue”. It is used to mean “to win people over by virtue”.
Where does 以德服人 come from?
以德服人 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 以德服人?
以良好的德行使百姓归顺、服从统治者。