諺語 · a single proverb
以德報怨
Simplified: 以德报怨
What does 以德報怨 (yǐ dé bào yuàn) mean?
以德報怨 (yǐ dé bào yuàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "with virtue repay resentment." In use it means: Repay injury with kindness; respond to hostility with virtue and goodwill. 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: "with virtue repay resentment."
The reading
The response that is better than the provocation changes the nature of the exchange. To meet anger with virtue is not passivity but transformation: the situation that expected to continue as it was has been handed something it cannot continue with. The escalation can only happen if both sides agree to it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經·第六十三章 (Chapter 63)
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 Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 以德報怨 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 以德報怨 (yǐ dé bào yuàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經·第六十三章 (Chapter 63). 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 以德報怨?
In Mandarin it is yǐ dé bào yuàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 以德報怨 aloud in Mandarin.