諺語 · a single proverb
一視同仁
Simplified: 一视同仁
What does 一視同仁 (yī shì tóng rén) mean?
一視同仁 (yī shì tóng rén) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one gaze, same benevolence." In use it means: Treat everyone equally and with equal benevolence. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "one gaze, same benevolence."
The reading
The sun does not measure who it warms each morning, and the rain falls on the field of the generous and the narrow alike. To see another person fully, as fully as you see yourself, is the practice that gradually dissolves the illusion that there is a them at all. This is the oldest form of justice.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tang Dynasty 唐·韓愈《原人》 (Yuán Rén, Han Yu essay)
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 Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一視同仁 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一視同仁 (yī shì tóng rén) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Tang Dynasty 唐·韓愈《原人》 (Yuán Rén, Han Yu essay). 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 一視同仁?
In Mandarin it is yī shì tóng rén. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一視同仁 aloud in Mandarin.