📖 Meaning
To treat everyone with equal kindness and fairness, without discrimination or favoritism. It describes an attitude of impartial care toward all people, regardless of their status, background, or relationship to oneself.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the thought of Mencius (孟子), the Warring States period philosopher. In the Mencian framework, a true ruler should extend benevolence (仁) equally to all subjects, just as a parent cares for all children alike. Later scholars and writers crystallized this ideal into the four-character expression 一视同仁, which became widely used in classical prose to praise impartial governance or universal compassion.
💡 Example Usage
这位老师对每一个学生都一视同仁，从不偏袒任何人。
This teacher treats every student with equal fairness and never shows favoritism to anyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一视同仁
- Pinyin: yī shì tóng rén
- Literal Translation: one, view, same, benevolence
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4