梁liáng上shàng君jūn子zǐ

What does 梁上君子 (liáng shàng jūn zǐ) mean?

梁上君子 (liáng shàng jūn zǐ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the gentleman on the beam." In use it means: A polite euphemism for a thief; addressing wrongdoing with dignity rather than aggression can be more effective. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.

Literally: "the gentleman on the beam."

The reading

Chen Shi looked up at the thief hiding on the roof beam and called him a gentleman. Then he explained, calmly, that bad choices do not make a bad person, but continuing them will. The thief came down, apologized, and reformed. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for someone who has lost their way is to treat them as though they have not.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typechéngyǔ 成語
• FocusLooks back
• Element木 Wood
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Book of the Later Han 後漢書, Chen Shi biography (陳寔傳)

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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.