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以理服人
以理服人
以理服人
以理服人
以理服人
以理服人
以理服人
以理服人
以理服人
以理服人

以理服人 — “To convince people by sound reasoning”

以理服人 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to convince people by sound reasoning”. To persuade with logic. Literally, “To convince by reason”.

Frequency

以理服人 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 以yǐ
  • 理lǐ
  • 服fú
  • 人rén

以理服人 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
以
yǐ5by means of
理
lǐ11reason, manage, science
服
fú8wear, serve, obey, take medicine
人
rén2human being, person

Example Sentence with 以理服人

在讨论问题时,我们应该以理服人,而不是大声争吵。
When discussing issues, we should convince others with reason, rather than arguing loudly.

Origin and Story of 以理服人

During the Warring States period, Mencius traveled across various states to advocate his philosophy of benevolent governance. Some people argued that one could still achieve dominance through military force, rendering benevolent principles unnecessary.

Mencius explained, "Dominating by military force requires a foundation of national prosperity and a strong populace, but it compels submission rather than inspiring genuine conviction. However, achieving dominance through benevolent governance, by persuading people with reason, can truly win hearts and minds, thus strengthening the nation."

Idioms Related to 以理服人

Synonyms of 以理服人

  • xīn心yuè悦chéng诚fú服wholeheartedly convinced and willingly comply
  • xīn心fú服kǒu口fú服sincerely convinced in heart and speech
  • yán言zhī之yǒu有lǐ理what one says makes sense

Antonyms of 以理服人

  • zhàng仗shì势qī欺rén人abuse power to bully others
  • yǐ以lì力fú服rén人subdue people by force
  • yǐ以shì势yā压rén人to browbeat people by dint of power

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

Questions about 以理服人

What does 以理服人 mean?
以理服人 (yǐ lǐ fú rén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to convince people by sound reasoning”.
How do you pronounce 以理服人?
以理服人 is pronounced yǐ lǐ fú rén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 以理服人 literally mean?
Literally, 以理服人 means “to convince by reason”. It is used to mean “to convince people by sound reasoning”.
Where does 以理服人 come from?
以理服人 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 以理服人?
用道理来说服人。
Copy the pinyin for 以理服人 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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