諺語 · a single proverb
婦人之仁
Simplified: 妇人之仁
What does 婦人之仁 (fù rén zhī rén) mean?
婦人之仁 (fù rén zhī rén) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the kindness of a woman." In use it means: Short-sighted compassion that harms the bigger picture. Mercy in the wrong moment, at the wrong scale. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.
Literally: "the kindness of a woman."
The reading
The phrase is ancient and the gender framing is outdated. But the idea survives: compassion applied without strategy can make things worse. Forgiving the wolf does not help the sheep. Mercy has to be paired with judgement or it becomes a liability for everyone it tries to protect.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記 (項羽本紀); attributed as critique of Xiang Yu
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 婦人之仁 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 婦人之仁 (fù rén zhī rén) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記 (項羽本紀); attributed as critique of Xiang Yu. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 婦人之仁?
In Mandarin it is fù rén zhī rén. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 婦人之仁 aloud in Mandarin.