📖 Meaning
To practice benevolence and bestow virtue through kind deeds. It describes a ruler or leader who governs with compassion and generously extends grace to the people. The phrase is also written as 施恩布德.
📜 Origin Story
No single definitive origin story is recorded for this idiom; it is a compound drawn from core Confucian political ideals emphasizing benevolent governance. The concepts of 仁 (benevolence) and 德 (virtue) run throughout classical Chinese philosophy, particularly in the Analects and Mencius. The phrase reflects the traditional expectation that those in power should rule through moral example rather than coercion. Similar formulations appear across dynastic historical writings and didactic literature.
💡 Example Usage
他任地方官时施仁布德，深得百姓爱戴。
While serving as a local official, he practiced benevolence and spread virtue, winning the deep affection of the common people.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 施仁布德
- Pinyin: shī rén bù dé
- Literal Translation: practice, benevolence, bestow, virtue
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4