敬而远之

敬而遠之

jìng'ér-yuǎnzhī

idiom HSK 7-9 #33,407

Meanings

Literally 'respect it but keep it distant'

HSK 2

大家对他敬而远之。

Dàjiā duì tā jìng'ér-yuǎnzhī.

Everyone keeps a respectful distance from him.

HSK 3

她对那个话题敬而远之。

Tā duì nàge huàtí jìng'ér-yuǎnzhī.

She steers clear of that topic.

usage

敬而远之 implies outward respect but deliberate avoidance. It often describes people or things one fears or dislikes but treats politely.

history

From the Analects of Confucius (论语): 务民之义，敬鬼神而远之 - 'Serve the people with righteousness, and respect spirits but keep them at a distance.'

敬 jìng

而 ér

远 yuǎn

之 zhī