📖 Meaning
An unchanging rule or principle. It refers to a law or standard that remains constant and should not be altered over time.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the essay 'Zhebai Ma Fu' (赭白马赋) by Yan Yanzhi, a literary figure of the Liu Song dynasty during the Southern Dynasties. The original text reads '教敬不易之典，训人必书之举,' meaning that teaching respect follows an unchanging principle, and instructing people is a deed that must be recorded. The phrase has since been used to describe enduring rules or laws that stand the test of time.
💡 Example Usage
治国之道，当遵循不易之典，方能安定天下。
The way of governing a state should follow unchanging principles so that the realm may be kept at peace.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不易之典
- Pinyin: bù yì zhī diǎn
- Literal Translation: not, change, of, principle
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4