将心比心

將心比心

jiāngxīnbǐxīn

idiom #49,829

Meanings

1 to put oneself in someone else's shoes
2 to judge others by oneself
3 to be empathetic

Characters

to take; to use

Examples

将心比心，你也不愿意别人这样对你吧？

Jiāng xīn bǐ xīn, nǐ yě bú yuànyì biérén zhèyàng duì nǐ ba?

Put yourself in their shoes — you wouldn't want someone to treat you this way either, right?

做领导要将心比心，多为员工着想。

Zuò lǐngdǎo yào jiāng xīn bǐ xīn, duō wèi yuángōng zhuóxiǎng.

A leader should be empathetic and think more from the employees' perspective.

Tips

history

From Zhu Xi's 《朱子语类·大学三》 (Song dynasty): 「将心比心，如此则各得其平矣」 — 'compare heart with heart, and then each will find balance.' Zhu Xi cited it as a proverb of his day, making it one of the oldest attested empathy maxims in Chinese.

usage

Often used as a standalone exhortation: 「将心比心嘛」 ('come on, put yourself in their shoes') when urging someone to show more understanding.

Stroke Order

将 jiāng

心 xīn

比 bǐ