Duì míxìn huódòng zuì wěntuǒ de tàidù shì jìng guǐshén ér yuǎn zhī.
The safest attitude toward superstitious activities is to 'respect gods and ghosts but keep them at a distance.'
Tips
history
From 《论语·雍也》(Analects, book 6): 樊迟问知。子曰：务民之义，敬鬼神而远之，可谓知矣 (Fan Chi asked about wisdom. The Master said: Attend to what is due to people; respect spirits and gods but keep them at a distance — this may be called wisdom). Confucius's pragmatic stance on the supernatural: do not deny, but do not entangle. The phrase has shaped Chinese religious sensibility for 2,500 years.
usage
Fully idiomatic in modern speech. Can be used of any topic one wishes to politely avoid — religion, office politics, a difficult in-law. Often shortened in speech to just 敬而远之.
