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敬鬼神而远之

敬鬼神而遠之
jìngguǐshén'éryuǎnzhī
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to respect spirits and gods but keep them at a distance
  2. 2 (fig.) to stay prudently aloof from what one cannot understand or control
  3. 3 (lit.) respect ghost-spirit yet distance them

Examples

HSK 6
他对公司的权力斗争一贯敬鬼神而远之。
Tā duì gōngsī de quánlì dòuzhēng yíguàn jìngguǐshén'éryuǎnzhī.
He has always kept the company's power struggles at a respectful distance.
HSK 7-9
对迷信活动最稳妥的态度是敬鬼神而远之。
Duì míxìn huódòng zuì wěntuǒ de tàidù shì jìngguǐshén'éryuǎnzhī.
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.

Stroke Order

敬 jìng
鬼 guǐ
神 shén
而 ér
远 yuǎn
之 zhī