天经地义

天經地義
tiānjīng-dìyì
idiom HSK 7-9 #32,116

Meanings

  1. 1 perfectly natural and right
  2. 2 a matter of course

Characters

Literally 'heaven's principles and earth's righteousness' - meaning something is as natural and undeniable as the laws of heaven and earth.

Examples

HSK 1
Tā juéde biéren bāng tā shì tiānjīng-dìyì de.
He thinks it's only natural for others to help him.
HSK 7-9
Xiàojìng fùmǔ shì tiānjīng-dìyì de shì.
Respecting your parents is a matter of course.

Tips

history
This idiom comes from the ancient text 《左传》 (Zuo Commentary), where and referred to the unchanging principles governing heaven and earth. Over time it evolved to mean anything considered self-evidently right.
usage
Often used critically - when someone says 他觉得这是天经地义的, it usually implies the person has an entitled attitude and takes things for granted.

Stroke Order

tiān
jīng