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地利不如人和

dìlìbùrúrénhé
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 favorable terrain is not as good as human harmony
  2. 2 position matters less than unity among people
  3. 3 the second rung of Mencius's three-part hierarchy

Examples

公司再大，地利不如人和，团队齐心才是关键。
Gōngsī zài dà, dìlì bù rú rénhé, tuánduì qí xīn cái shì guānjiàn.
However large the company, terrain is less than harmony — a team of one mind is what matters.
古人说天时不如地利，地利不如人和，这话不假。
Gǔrén shuō tiānshí bù rú dìlì, dìlì bù rú rénhé, zhè huà bù jiǎ.
The ancients said 'timing is less than terrain, terrain is less than harmony' — that's no idle saying.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·公孙丑下》 (Mencius, 'Gongsun Chou II'): 天时不如地利，地利不如人和 — 'Heaven's timing is less than earth's advantage; earth's advantage is less than human harmony.' The closing rung: 人和 ('concord of people') trumps both omens and geography. The full chapter argues that political legitimacy derives from winning hearts, not from walls or weapons.
usage
Always quoted as the second half of the pair with 天时不如地利. Widely used in modern business, military, and political discourse: no geographic or market advantage matters if the people are divided.

Stroke Order

地 dì
利 lì
不 bù
如 rú
人 rén
和 hé