以其人之道，還治其人之身
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Chinese[edit]
to use; according to; so as to to use; according to; so as to; in order to; by; with; because; Israel (abbrev.) |
his; her; its his; her; its; theirs; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it) |
man; person; people | 's; him/her/it; this | direction; way; method direction; way; method; road; path; principle; truth; reason; skill; Tao (of Taoism); a measure word; to say; to speak; to talk |
pay back; return; also pay back; return; also; in addition; more; still; else; yet; (not) yet |
to rule; to govern; to manage to rule; to govern; to manage; to control; to harness (a river); cure; treatment; to heal |
his; her; its his; her; its; theirs; that; such; it (refers to sth preceding it) |
man; person; people | 's; him/her/it; this | body; torso; person body; torso; person; life; status; pregnancy; (a measure word used for clothes) suit | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (以其人之道，還治其人之身) | 以 | 其 | 人 | 之 | 道 | ， | 還 | 治 | 其 | 人 | 之 | 身 | |
| simp. (以其人之道，还治其人之身) | 以 | 其 | 人 | 之 | 道 | ， | 还 | 治 | 其 | 人 | 之 | 身 | |
Etymology[edit]
Originally used by Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi:
- 故君子之治人也，即以其人之道，還治其人之身。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: 12th century CE, Zhu Xi, 《四書章句集註·中庸章句》, translation from Johnston and Wang (2012), Daxue and Zhongyong: Bilingual Edition
- Gù jūnzǐ zhī zhì rén yě, jí yǐ qí rén zhī dào, huán zhì qí rén zhī shēn. [Pinyin]
- Therefore, the noble man's (ruler's) bringing good order to others, since it is by his Way as a man, reflects his own good order as a person.
故君子之治人也，即以其人之道，还治其人之身。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation[edit]
Idiom[edit]
以其人之道，還治其人之身
- to pay back with the opponent's own method; to give the enemy a taste of their own medicine; an eye for an eye