宋襄之仁

Chinese

		surname; name of a dynasty	assist	's; him/her/it; this	humane; kernel
simp. and trad. (宋襄之仁)		宋	襄	之	仁

Etymology

From the story of the Battle of Hongshui between the state of Song and Chu in 638 BCE, in which Duke Xiang of Song, in order to display his benevolence, waited for the Chu army to fully cross the river and rearrange itself into a battle formation before attacking it, leading to the thorough defeat of the Song army.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sòngxiāngzhīrén

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄓ ㄖㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sung³ soeng¹ zi¹ jan⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sòngxiāngzhīrén
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄨㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄤ ㄓ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sòngsiangjhihrén
    • Wade–Giles: sung⁴-hsiang¹-chih¹-jên²
    • Yale: sùng-syāng-jr̄-rén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sonqshiangjyren
    • Palladius: сунсянчжижэнь (sunsjančžižɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sʊŋ⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sung³ soeng¹ zi¹ jan⁴
    • Yale: sung sēung jī yàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sung³ soeng¹ dzi¹ jan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sung³ sêng¹ ji¹ yen⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sʊŋ³³ sœːŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

Idiom

宋襄之仁

1. the ridiculous act of showing benevolence towards one's enemy