妇人之仁 — “Woman's benevolence”
妇人之仁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Excessive leniency and indecisiveness, often to the detriment of larger interests; soft-heartedness that prevents one from making tough but necessary decisions”. Literally, “woman's benevolence”.
妇人之仁 Pronunciation and Pinyin
妇人之仁 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 妇人之仁
Origin and Story of 妇人之仁
During the Chu-Han Contention, the renowned general Han Xin once served Xiang Yu. However, because Xiang Yu was brave but lacked foresight and was not good at utilizing talented people, Han Xin was not given important responsibilities. Consequently, Han Xin left Xiang Yu and went over to Liu Bang. Initially, he was not highly valued by Liu Bang either, but later, under the strong recommendation of Xiao He, Liu Bang finally appointed Han Xin as a grand general.
After Han Xin was made a grand general, Liu Bang asked him, "Chancellor Xiao has repeatedly recommended you, General. You must have some brilliant strategies; please enlighten me." Han Xin replied, "I have served under King Xiang before and know his capabilities, as well as his weaknesses.
When King Xiang shouts, a thousand men will be intimidated by him; you can see how brave and fierce he is. However, he cannot accept others' opinions, nor can he properly utilize capable generals. His bravery is merely that of a common man.
As for how King Xiang treats people, he is respectful and kind-hearted, speaking gently. When he sees someone ill, he will shed tears and share his own food and drink with the sick person. But when people achieve merits and deserve titles, he doesn't bestow them. Even if he does, he holds onto the seal for the title, rubbing it left and right until the four corners are worn smooth, yet he is reluctant to hand it over. His good intentions are merely the soft-heartedness of a woman.
Han Xin then went on to analyze some of Xiang Yu's other weaknesses and mistakes, pointing out that Liu Bang would inevitably defeat Xiang Yu.
Idioms Related to 妇人之仁
Antonyms of 妇人之仁
More idioms starting with 妇
- fù妇rén人zhī之jiàn见narrow-minded, short-sighted views
- fù妇rén人rú孺zǐ子women and children
- fù妇rén人chún醇jiǔ酒indulge in women and wine
- fù妇gū姑bó勃xī溪mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarreling
- fù妇gū姑bó勃xī谿mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bickering
- fù妇rú孺jiē皆zhī知known to every woman and child
- fù妇dao道rén人jia家womenfolk or a woman
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Open the tool →Questions about 妇人之仁
What does 妇人之仁 mean?
妇人之仁 (fù rén zhī rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Excessive leniency and indecisiveness, often to the detriment of larger interests; soft-heartedness that prevents one from making tough but necessary decisions”.
How do you pronounce 妇人之仁?
妇人之仁 is pronounced fù rén zhī rén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 妇人之仁 literally mean?
Literally, 妇人之仁 means “woman's benevolence”. It is used to mean “Excessive leniency and indecisiveness, often to the detriment of larger interests; soft-heartedness that prevents one from making tough but necessary decisions”.
Where does 妇人之仁 come from?
妇人之仁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 妇人之仁?
仕：仁慈。妇女的软心肠。旧指处事姑息优柔，不识大体。