敏于事而慎于言

敏於事而慎於言
mǐnyúshìérshènyúyán
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 quick in action, cautious in speech
  2. 2 (fig.) the Confucian model of acting decisively but speaking sparingly
  3. 3 (lit.) quick at affairs yet careful at speech

Examples

Jūnzǐ shí wú qiú bǎo, jū wú qiú ān, mǐn yú shì ér shèn yú yán.
'The gentleman in eating does not seek fullness, in dwelling does not seek comfort — quick in action, cautious in speech.'
Lǐngdǎo gànbù yīnggāi mǐn yú shì ér shèn yú yán.
Leading cadres should be 'quick in action, cautious in speech.'

Tips

history
From 《·》(Analects, book 1): 君子可谓好学 (The Master said: The gentleman in eating seeks no full belly, in dwelling no comfort; quick in action yet cautious in speech; drawing near to those with the Way to correct himself — such a one may be called fond of learning). A favored Xi Jinping quotation on official conduct.
usage
is the classical preposition for 'at / in regard to' — = 'quick with respect to affairs.' A common variant is (slow in speech, quick in action, from 《·》). Same sense, different chapter.

Stroke Order

mǐn
shì
ér
shèn
yán