📖 Meaning
To adapt one's approach through expedient measures in response to changed circumstances. It describes the wisdom of adjusting strategy flexibly according to the situation at hand, rather than adhering rigidly to one method.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from a Qing dynasty letter titled 'Reply to Zhu Danmu' by the scholar Mei Zengliang. In the letter, Mei praised an official who, when governing a difficult county, did not follow the laissez-faire Huang-Lao Daoist approach, yet later adopted Huang-Lao methods upon becoming a grain transport official. Mei called this the talent of 'chi quan he bian' — the ability to hold to expediency and adapt to changing circumstances.
💡 Example Usage
为政者当持权合变，根据实际情况调整策略。
Those who govern should adapt expediently to circumstances and adjust their strategies according to the actual situation.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 持权合变
- Pinyin: chí quán hé biàn
- Literal Translation: hold, expediency, adapt, change
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4