📖 Meaning
Speech and action are in complete agreement. It describes a person whose deeds match their words, demonstrating integrity and sincerity. The idiom praises consistency between what one says and what one does.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase appears in Guo Moruo's historical play 'Qu Yuan' (屈原), Act IV, where the protagonist declares: 'My words and actions are consistent, my inside and outside are as one; the facts are all here, and I will not waver even in death.' Guo Moruo was a prominent 20th-century Chinese writer, historian, and poet. The expression encapsulates the long-standing Confucian ideal that moral integrity requires aligning speech with conduct. Though it gained literary prominence through this modern work, the underlying concept has deep roots in classical Chinese philosophy.
💡 Example Usage
一个言行一致的人，才能赢得别人的信任和尊重。
Only a person whose words and actions are consistent can earn the trust and respect of others.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 言行一致
- Pinyin: yán xíng yī zhì
- Literal Translation: words, actions, one, consistent
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4