兼听则明，偏信则暗 — “Hear all sides, become enlightened; trust one side, become obscure”
兼听则明，偏信则暗 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to gain a clear understanding and make informed decisions, one must consider all sides of an issue; to listen only to one perspective inevitably leads to misunderstanding and error”. Literally, “Hear all sides, become enlightened; trust one side, become obscure”.
兼听则明，偏信则暗 Pronunciation and Pinyin
兼听则明，偏信则暗 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 兼听则明，偏信则暗
Origin and Story of 兼听则明，偏信则暗
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once asked his chancellor, Wei Zheng, "As the ruler of a nation, how can I distinguish right from wrong and avoid being misled?"
Wei Zheng replied, "As a monarch, listening only to one side will lead to confusion and often result in erroneous judgments. Only by widely listening to opinions and adopting sound advice can you avoid deception and gain a clear understanding of the situation among your people."
From then on, Emperor Taizong paid great attention to listening to advice from his subordinates and encouraged his ministers to speak frankly.
After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong lamented with great sorrow, "A bronze mirror helps one see if one's attire is neat; a historical mirror reveals why dynasties rise and fall; and a human mirror clarifies one's own strengths and weaknesses compared to others. Now that Wei Zheng is gone, I have truly lost a great mirror!"
The idiom "兼听则明，偏信则暗" (Listen to all sides and be enlightened; heed only one side and you will be benighted) evolved from Wei Zheng's wise counsel to Emperor Taizong.
Idioms Related to 兼听则明，偏信则暗
More idioms starting with 兼
- jiān兼rén人zhī之yǒng勇courage of many men
- jiān兼rén人zhī之cái材extraordinary talent
- jiān兼rén人hào好shèng胜extremely competitive and eager to surpass
- jiān兼gōng功zì自lì厉redouble efforts and self-exhort
- jiān兼bāo包bìng并róng容all-encompassing and inclusive
- jiān兼bāo包bìng并chù畜eclectic and all-embracing
- jiān兼shàn善tiān天xià下benefit all under heaven
- jiān兼guān官zhòng重fú绂hold multiple prominent official positions
- jiān兼róng容bìng并bāo包all-embracing and inclusive
- jiān兼róng容bìng并xù蓄embrace and absorb diverse elements
- jiān兼nián年zhī之chǔ储multi-year reserves
- jiān兼ruò弱gōng攻mèi昧Annex the weak and attack the ignorant
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Open the tool →Questions about 兼听则明，偏信则暗
What does 兼听则明，偏信则暗 mean?
兼听则明，偏信则暗 (jiān tīng zé míng ， piān xìn zé àn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to gain a clear understanding and make informed decisions, one must consider all sides of an issue; to listen only to one perspective inevitably leads to misunderstanding and error”.
How do you pronounce 兼听则明，偏信则暗?
兼听则明，偏信则暗 is pronounced jiān tīng zé míng ， piān xìn zé àn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 兼听则明，偏信则暗 literally mean?
Literally, 兼听则明，偏信则暗 means “Hear all sides, become enlightened; trust one side, become obscure”. It is used to mean “to gain a clear understanding and make informed decisions, one must consider all sides of an issue; to listen only to one perspective inevitably leads to misunderstanding and error”.
Where does 兼听则明，偏信则暗 come from?
兼听则明，偏信则暗 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 兼听则明，偏信则暗?
指要同时听取各方面的意见，才能正确认识事物；只相信单方面的话，必然会犯片面性的错误。