一张一弛 — “To alternate between strictness and leniency”
一张一弛 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to alternate between strictness and leniency”. Or intensity and relaxation. It originally referred to the governing method of King Wen and King Wu, which involved combining strictness with periods of relaxation. It is now used to describe the principle of balancing work and rest, or effort and ease, to maintain optimal performance and well-being. Literally, “One tense, one relaxed”.
一张一弛 Pronunciation and Pinyin
一张一弛 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 一张一弛
Origin and Story of 一张一弛
During the Zhou Dynasty, there was a folk festival called "La" for sacrificing to a hundred gods. Confucius took his disciple Zigong to watch the festivities.
Zigong was concerned that the common people might get into trouble if they were only focused on having fun.
Confucius explained to Zigong, "The common people toil in the fields year-round. Allowing them to relax, to have periods of tension followed by periods of relaxation, was a rule set by King Wen and King Wu. This approach helps them to produce better."
Idioms Related to 一张一弛
Synonyms of 一张一弛
Antonyms of 一张一弛
More idioms starting with 一
- yī一dīng丁bù不shí识completely illiterate
- yī一dīng丁diǎn点er儿a tiny bit
- yī一bù不zuò作，，èr二bù不xiū休Finish what you start
- yī一bù不zuò做，，èr二bù不xiū休in for a penny, in for a pound
- yī一bù不yā压zhòng众，，bǎi百bù不suí随yī一The minority cannot prevail against the majority
- yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
- yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
- yī一shì世lóng龙mén门A generation's revered influential figure
- yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
- yī一qiū丘zhī之hé貉birds of a feather
- yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
- yī一sī丝bù不luàn乱perfectly orderly and neat
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Open the tool →Questions about 一张一弛
What does 一张一弛 mean?
一张一弛 (yī zhāng yī chí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to alternate between strictness and leniency”.
How do you pronounce 一张一弛?
一张一弛 is pronounced yī zhāng yī chí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 一张一弛 literally mean?
Literally, 一张一弛 means “one tense, one relaxed”. It is used to mean “to alternate between strictness and leniency”.
Where does 一张一弛 come from?
一张一弛 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 一张一弛?
意思是宽严相结合，是文王武王治理国家的方法。现用来比喻生活的松紧和工作的劳逸要合理安排。