隱惡揚善

Chinese

		secret; hidden; concealed	evil; to hate; to loathe evil; to hate; to loathe; nauseated	hurl; to raise; to scatter	good
trad. (隱惡揚善)		隱	惡	揚	善
simp. (隐恶扬善)		隐	恶	扬	善

Etymology

From the Doctrine of the Mean (《中庸》) in the Book of Rites:

子曰：「舜其大知也與！舜好問而好察邇言，隱惡而揚善，執其兩端，用其中於民，其斯以為舜乎！」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子曰：「舜其大知也与！舜好问而好察迩言，隐恶而扬善，执其两端，用其中于民，其斯以为舜乎！」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐ yuē: “Shùn qí dàzhī yě yú! Shùn hàowèn ér hào chá ěryán, yǐn è ér yáng shàn, zhí qí liǎngduān, yòng qí zhōng yú mín, qí sī yǐwèi Shùn hū!” [Pinyin]

The Master said, "There was Shun: He indeed was greatly wise! Shun loved to question others, and to study their words, though they might be shallow. He concealed what was bad in them and displayed what was good. He took hold of their two extremes, determined the Mean, and employed it in his government of the people. It was by this that he was Shun!"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yǐn'èyángshàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄣˇ ㄜˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan² ok³ joeng⁴ sin⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yǐn'èyángshàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄣˇ ㄜˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄕㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yǐn-èyángshàn
    • Wade–Giles: yin³-o⁴-yang²-shan⁴
    • Yale: yǐn-è-yáng-shàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yiinehyangshann
    • Palladius: иньэяншань (inʹejanšanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /in²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤ⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵ ʂän⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan² ok³ joeng⁴ sin⁶
    • Yale: yán ok yèuhng sihn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan² ok⁸ joeng⁴ sin⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen² og³ yêng⁴ xin⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn³⁵ ɔːk̚³ jœːŋ²¹ siːn²²/

Idiom

隱惡揚善

1. to conceal someone's faults and praise their merits