旁观者清 — “Onlookers see clearly”
旁观者清 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “those not directly involved in a situation often have a clearer perspective and understanding of it than those who are caught up in it”. Literally, “Onlookers see clearly”.
旁观者清 Pronunciation and Pinyin
旁观者清 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 旁观者清
Origin and Story of 旁观者清
During the Tang Dynasty, minister Wei Guang submitted a memorial to Emperor Xuanzong, requesting that "Lei Li" (Categorized Rituals), compiled and revised by Wei Zheng, be designated as a classic.
Emperor Xuanzong then ordered Yuan Tan to proofread it. The Right Prime Minister Zhang Shuo argued that Zheng Xuan's annotations had already made it a classic.
In response, Yuan Tan wrote an essay titled "Shi Yi" (Clarification of Doubts) to express his view: Zheng Xuan's annotations were outdated. He explained that Wei Zheng was not a player in the game of interpreting rituals, but an onlooker, and therefore his annotations were more truthful and objective.
Idioms Related to 旁观者清
Synonyms of 旁观者清
Antonyms of 旁观者清
More idioms starting with 旁
- páng旁yǐn引qǔ曲zhèng证cite extensively and prove indirectly
- páng旁zhēng征bó博yǐn引cite extensively from a wide range of sources
- páng旁zhēng征bó博fǎng访extensively research and cite widely
- páng旁zhǐ指qǔ曲yù谕enlighten indirectly and subtly
- páng旁tuī推cè侧yǐn引enlighten and guide indirectly
- páng旁sōu搜bó博cǎi采extensively collect and gather information
- páng旁sōu搜yuǎn远shào绍extensively research and learn from past masters
- páng旁yáo摇yīn阴shān煽covertly incite discord widely
- páng旁shōu收bó博cǎi采extensively gather and absorb
- páng旁qiāo敲cè侧jī击make indirect allusions or criticisms
- páng旁wén文shèng剩yì义ancillary or superfluous text
- páng旁zhī枝mò末jié节minor details or side issues
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Open the tool →Questions about 旁观者清
What does 旁观者清 mean?
旁观者清 (páng guān zhě qīng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “those not directly involved in a situation often have a clearer perspective and understanding of it than those who are caught up in it”.
How do you pronounce 旁观者清?
旁观者清 is pronounced páng guān zhě qīng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 旁观者清 literally mean?
Literally, 旁观者清 means “Onlookers see clearly”. It is used to mean “those not directly involved in a situation often have a clearer perspective and understanding of it than those who are caught up in it”.
Where does 旁观者清 come from?
旁观者清 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 旁观者清?
当事人被碰到的问题搞糊涂了，旁边观看的人却看得很清楚。