安民告示

ānmín-gàoshì

idiom

Meanings

1 a public notice to reassure the people
2 advance notice (of an agenda or change)
3 a heads-up to keep things calm

Characters

peaceful, to pacify

people, populace

to announce, notify

to show, indicate

Examples

HSK 2

开会前先出个安民告示，让大家有个准备。

Kāihuì qián xiān chū ge ānmíngàoshì, ràng dàjiā yǒu ge zhǔnbèi.

Before the meeting, post a heads-up so everyone can prepare.

HSK 6

新政府上台后立即发布了安民告示。

Xīn zhèngfǔ shàngtái hòu lìjí fābù le ānmíngàoshì.

Right after taking power the new government issued a public notice to reassure the people.

Tips

history

Originally from Qing-era 《避兵十日记》 by Jin Niànqú: when armies passed through, magistrates would post 安民告示 - 'pacify-the-people notices' - to stop residents fleeing or rioting. Mao Zedong revived it metaphorically in 《党委会的工作方法》 to mean 'tell people the agenda in advance'.

usage

Modern figurative use is mostly in formal/political register: announcing a policy change, layoffs, price hikes - anything where leaders pre-empt panic with a calming notice.

Stroke Order

安 ān

民 mín

告 gào

示 shì