软硬兼施

軟硬兼施

ruǎnyìng-jiānshī

idiom #39,739

Meanings

HSK 3

父母对孩子软硬兼施，希望他能改掉坏习惯。

Fùmǔ duì háizi ruǎnyìng-jiānshī, xīwàng tā néng gǎidiào huài xíguàn.

The parents used both gentle and firm tactics, hoping the child would break his bad habits.

HSK 7-9

警察软硬兼施，终于让嫌疑人开了口。

Jǐngchá ruǎnyìng-jiānshī, zhōngyú ràng xiányírén kāi le kǒu.

The police used a mix of soft and hard tactics and finally got the suspect to talk.

usage

Direct equivalent of English 'carrot and stick.' Slightly negative in tone - the speaker often disapproves of the manipulation.

软 ruǎn

硬 yìng

兼 jiān

施 shī