取信于民

取信於民

qǔxìnyúmín

idiom #92,116

Meanings

1 to win the trust of the people (idiom)
2 to gain the confidence of the populace

Characters

to take; to obtain

from; in (classical)

people; populace

Examples

政府必须取信于民，才能推行改革。

Zhèngfǔ bìxū qǔxìnyúmín, cáinéng tuīxíng gǎigé.

The government must win the people's trust before it can push through reforms.

只有言行一致才能取信于民。

Zhǐyǒu yánxíng-yīzhì cáinéng qǔxìnyúmín.

Only when words match deeds can one gain the people's trust.

这项政策旨在取信于民。

Zhè xiàng zhèngcè zhǐzài qǔxìnyúmín.

This policy is aimed at winning public confidence.

Tips

register

Political/formal register. Nearly always used about governments, officials, or institutions, not individuals in everyday life. Common in editorials and policy speeches.

grammar

于民 is a classical structure: 于 = 'from/among' + 民 = 'the people'. Same pattern in 取法于古 (take as model from the ancients).

Stroke Order

取 qǔ

信 xìn

于 yú

民 mín