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人情练达即文章

人情練達即文章
rénqíngliàndájíwénzhāng
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 mastering human nature is itself a kind of literature
  2. 2 understanding people deeply is as valuable as scholarship
  3. 3 (lit.) being skilled and penetrating in human relations is literary composition

Examples

他没读过多少书，但人情练达即文章，处事圆融。
Tā méi dú guò duōshǎo shū, dàn rénqíng liàndá jí wénzhāng, chǔshì yuánróng.
He hasn't read much, but 'understanding people is literature' — he handles situations with grace.
做销售靠的是人情练达即文章，不光是产品知识。
Zuò xiāoshòu kào de shì rénqíng liàndá jí wénzhāng, bùguāng shì chǎnpǐn zhīshi.
Sales depends on social fluency — not just product knowledge.

Tips

history
From 《红楼梦》 (Dream of the Red Chamber, Cao Xueqin, Qing) chapter 5, written as a couplet on the wall of Jia Baoyu's dream study: 世事洞明皆学问，人情练达即文章。(To see through worldly affairs is all scholarship; to master human feelings is literary art.) Baoyu rejects the couplet, calling it hypocritical — revealing his anti-careerist stance.
usage
Often cited admiringly of socially-skilled operators; in 红楼梦 context, it's actually satirized as the worldly wisdom Baoyu despises. Users should be aware of both readings.

Stroke Order

人 rén
情 qíng
练 liàn
达 dá
即 jí
文 wén
章 zhāng