📖 Meaning
The virtue of cherishing and sparing life. It refers to a moral character that values all living beings and refrains from killing or cruelty.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Counsels of Great Yu' (大禹谟) chapter of the Book of Documents (尚书), an ancient Chinese classic. It records the principle that it is better to risk letting a guilty person go free under uncertain law than to execute an innocent one. The passage states that this 'virtue of cherishing life' (好生之德) resonates with and wins the hearts of the common people. The phrase has since been used to extol rulers and individuals who govern or act with mercy and reverence for life.
💡 Example Usage
为君者当怀好生之德，不可滥杀无辜。
A ruler should hold the virtue of cherishing life and must not wantonly kill the innocent.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 好生之德
- Pinyin: hào shēng zhī dé
- Literal Translation: love, life, 's, virtue
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4