息事宁人

息事寧人

xīshìníngrén

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

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.

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.

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