天经地义

天經地義
tiānjīng-dìyì
idiom HSK 7-9 #32,116

Meanings

  1. 1 perfectly natural and right
  2. 2 a matter of course

Characters

Literally 'heaven's principles and earth's righteousness' - meaning something is as natural and undeniable as the laws of heaven and earth.

Examples

HSK 3
Tā juéde biéren bāng tā shì tiānjīng-dìyì de.
He thinks it's only natural for others to help him.
HSK 7-9
Xiàojìng fùmǔ shì tiānjīng-dìyì de shì.
Respecting your parents is a matter of course.

Tips

history
This idiom comes from the ancient text 《左传》 (Zuo Commentary), where 经 and 义 referred to the unchanging principles governing heaven and earth. Over time it evolved to mean anything considered self-evidently right.
usage
Often used critically - when someone says 他觉得这是天经地义的, it usually implies the person has an entitled attitude and takes things for granted.

Stroke Order

天 tiān
经 jīng
地 dì
义 yì