移风易俗

移風易俗

yífēngyìsú

idiom

Meanings

1 to change customs and traditions
2 to reform established habits
3 to transform the mores of a society

Characters

to shift; change

custom; prevailing habits

to change; alter

custom; folkway

Examples

移风易俗需要时间。

Yí fēng yì sú xūyào shíjiān.

Changing entrenched customs takes time.

政府提倡移风易俗，简办婚丧。

Zhèngfǔ tíchàng yí fēng yì sú, jiǎn bàn hūn sāng.

The government promotes reforming customs to simplify weddings and funerals.

移风易俗是一项长期的工作。

Yí fēng yì sú shì yī xiàng chángqī de gōngzuò.

Reforming customs is long-term work.

Tips

history

From 《荀子·乐论》: '乐者⋯其移风易俗，故先王导之以礼乐而民和睦' — 'music⋯ shifts customs and transforms practices, so the former kings guided the people with ritual and music into harmony'. Xunzi frames it as the ruler's civilizing task.

register

Formal, policy and editorial register. Common in government documents and news about rural reform, wedding/funeral simplification, anti-superstition campaigns.

Stroke Order

移 yí

风 fēng

易 yì

俗 sú