📖 Meaning
To persuade or enlighten someone by using reason and logical argument. It describes the method of guiding someone to understanding through rational explanation rather than force, threats, or emotional pressure. The emphasis is on clarity and the inherent power of sound reasoning to convince.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not trace to a single classical text but reflects a deeply rooted Chinese rhetorical and pedagogical tradition. The concept of winning people over through rational persuasion permeates Confucian philosophy, where moral leadership relies on example and argument rather than coercion. Mencius famously contrasted governing by virtue and reason with ruling by force, embodying the same principle. The phrase crystallizes the Confucian ideal that the superior person persuades others through the compelling clarity of proper reasoning.
💡 Example Usage
面对固执的学生，老师没有训斥，而是喻之以理，耐心讲解其中的道理。
Facing a stubborn student, the teacher did not scold him but reasoned with him, patiently explaining the underlying principles.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 喻之以理
- Pinyin: yù zhī yǐ lǐ
- Literal Translation: enlighten, him, with, reason
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4