息事宁人

息事寧人

xīshì-níngrén

idiom #37,226

Meanings

1 to keep the peace by smoothing things over
2 to patch up a quarrel
3 to settle disputes and calm people down

Characters

to calm; to stop

matter; incident

to make peaceful

Examples

HSK 6

为了息事宁人，他主动向对方道了歉。

Wèile xīshìníngrén, tā zhǔdòng xiàng duìfāng dào le qiàn.

To smooth things over, he took the initiative and apologized to the other party.

HSK 6

公司采取息事宁人的态度，没有追究责任。

Gōngsī cǎiqǔ xīshìníngrén de tàidù, méiyǒu zhuījiū zérèn.

The company took a peacekeeping stance and didn't pursue responsibility.

HSK 7-9

一味息事宁人，反而会让矛盾积累。

Yīwèi xīshìníngrén, fǎn'ér huì ràng máodùn jīlěi.

Constantly smoothing things over actually lets conflicts pile up.

Tips

history

From 《后汉书·章帝纪》: 罪非殊死，且勿案验……冀以息事宁人 - Emperor Zhang of Han's edict asking officials to stop investigating minor offenses in hopes of calming matters and easing the people's lives.

usage

Often has a slightly negative edge in modern use - suggests conflict-avoidance that may gloss over real problems. When used positively, it praises a mediator's level-headedness.

Stroke Order

息 xī

事 shì

宁 níng

人 rén