黄羊任人 — “To appoint people based solely on their merits and abilities”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 黄羊任人?

比喻大公无私、任人唯贤

黄羊任人 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to appoint people based solely on their merits and abilities”. Demonstrating impartiality and selflessness in talent selection.

Frequency

黄羊任人 Pronunciation and Pinyin

黄羊任人 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
黄	huáng	11	yellow color
羊	yáng	6	sheep or goat
任	rèn	6	appoint, trust, or allow
人	rén	2	human being, person

Example Sentence with 黄羊任人

在选拔团队成员时，领导应秉持黄羊任人的精神，不计个人恩怨，只看真才实学。

When selecting team members, leaders should uphold the principle of impartiality, disregarding personal grievances and focusing solely on genuine talent and ability.

Origin and Story of 黄羊任人

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Ping of Jin asked his minister, Qi Huangyang, who would be suitable to serve as the magistrate of Nanyang County. Qi Huangyang recommended Xie Hu.

Duke Ping questioned how he could recommend someone who was his adversary. Qi Huangyang replied that one should appoint people based solely on their merits and abilities. Xie Hu indeed lived up to expectations and performed admirably.

Later, when the imperial court was in need of a military commander, Qi Huangyang recommended his own son, Qi Wu. Qi Wu also proved to be an outstanding official.

Confucius later praised Qi Huangyang, saying that his method of recommending talent truly exemplified great impartiality and selflessness.