📖 Meaning
To approach problems objectively and seek truth from concrete facts rather than from preconceived notions or dogma. It emphasizes practical investigation and honest analysis of actual conditions as the basis for conclusions and actions.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Book of Han (《汉书·河间献王传》), compiled by Ban Gu in the Eastern Han dynasty, which praises Liu De, Prince Xian of Hejian during the Western Han dynasty (reigned c. 155–129 BC), for his scholarly rigor: '从民得善书，必为好写与之，留其真。' — meaning he always kept the genuine texts and sought truth from authentic sources. The modern political popularization came through Mao Zedong's 1941 essay 'Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature,' which elevated it into a core ideological principle.
💡 Example Usage
搞科研必须实事求是，任何弄虚作假的行为都会最终被揭穿。
Scientific research must be grounded in truth from facts; any falsification will eventually be exposed.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 实事求是
- Pinyin: shí shì qiú shì
- Literal Translation: real, matter, seek, real
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4