📖 Meaning
Refers to the fundamental and indisputable principles governing heaven and earth. Extended metaphorically to mean governing the world by using the natural order of heaven and earth as the standard. The term draws on the weaving imagery of warp (经) and weft (纬) threads, symbolizing the essential framework of all things.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), a foundational historical text of the Spring and Autumn period attributed to Zuo Qiuming. In the record of the 25th year of Duke Zhao's reign, it is stated that ritual propriety (礼) is the discipline governing relationships between superiors and subordinates, and constitutes the warp and weft—the fundamental organizing principles—of heaven and earth. The passage elevates ritual to a cosmic principle, suggesting that social order mirrors the natural order of the universe. Over time, the phrase came to represent any self-evident, unassailable truth or guiding principle.
💡 Example Usage
法治乃天地经纬，治国者当以法度为纲。
The rule of law is a fundamental principle of heaven and earth; those who govern should take law as their guiding framework.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 天地经纬
- Pinyin: tiān dì jīng wěi
- Literal Translation: heaven, earth, warp, weft
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4