事半功倍 — “To achieve maximum results with minimum effort”
事半功倍 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to achieve maximum results with minimum effort”. To get twice the result with half the effort. Literally, “Half the work, double the results”.
事半功倍 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 事shì
- 半bàn
- 功gōng
- 倍bèi
事半功倍 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 事半功倍
Origin and Story of 事半功倍
During the Warring States period, the great philosopher Mencius had many disciples. On one occasion, he and his disciple Gongsun Chou discussed the unification of the world.
They began by discussing King Wen of Zhou, noting how King Wen, starting from a small state of only one hundred square li, practiced benevolent governance and thus achieved tremendous success. Today, the common people suffered from constant warfare. Mencius argued that if a large and populous state like Qi were to implement benevolent governance, unifying the world would be much easier compared to the numerous challenges King Wen had encountered.
Mencius concluded by saying, 'Today, if a large state like Qi practices benevolent governance, the people of the world will undoubtedly be immensely pleased, feeling as though their suffering has been alleviated. Therefore, the benevolence bestowed upon the people would only be half of what the ancients offered, yet the results achieved would surely be doubled. Now is truly the opportune moment!'
Later, based on these words spoken by Mencius, people derived the idiom '事半功倍', which is used to describe achieving significant results with minimal effort.
Idioms Related to 事半功倍
Synonyms of 事半功倍
Antonyms of 事半功倍
More idioms starting with 事
- shì事bù不guān关jǐ己to be indifferent to others' troubles
- shì事bù不guān关jǐ己，，gāo高gāo高guà挂qǐ起Remain indifferent to unrelated matters
- shì事bù不yí宜chí迟Act quickly without delay
- shì事bù不shī师gǔ古Act without learning from past experiences
- shì事bù不yǒu有yú余To reach the utmost degree
- shì事bù不guò过sān三Third time's the charm or you're out
- shì事yǔ与yuán原wéi违Things did not go as planned
- shì事yù与xīn心wéi违things turn out contrary to one's expectations
- shì事yǔ与yuàn愿wéi违Things don't turn out as hoped
- shì事yǐ以mì密chéng成Discretion ensures success
- shì事guān关zhòng重dà大A matter of great importance
Questions about 事半功倍
- What does 事半功倍 mean?
- 事半功倍 (shì bàn gōng bèi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to achieve maximum results with minimum effort”.
- How do you pronounce 事半功倍?
- 事半功倍 is pronounced shì bàn gōng bèi in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 事半功倍 literally mean?
- Literally, 事半功倍 means “Half the work, double the results”. It is used to mean “to achieve maximum results with minimum effort”.
- Where does 事半功倍 come from?
- 事半功倍 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 事半功倍?
- 指做事得法，因而费力小，收效大。