Chinese word

天经地义

Pronunciation

Pinyintiān jīng dì yì

Meaning

  • idiomonly natural

Example

朋友互相帮助是天经地义的。péng yǒu hù xiāng bāng zhù shì tiān jīng dì yì de

It is only natural for friends to help each other.

Illustration for 天经地义 (only natural)

More examples

救助贫困是天经地义的原则。jiù zhù pín kùn shì tiān jīng dì yì de yuán zé

Helping the poor is a perfectly natural principle.

Core concept

A rule so firmly grounded in nature and human society that following it feels beyond debate.

Common phrases

  • 天经地义的原则tiān jīng dì yì de yuán zé

    perfectly natural principle

  • 天经地义的做法tiān jīng dì yì de zuò fǎ

    perfectly natural way

  • 当作天经地义dàng zuò tiān jīng dì yì

    consider perfectly natural

Similar words

理所当然lí suǒ dāng rán: Regarded as naturally proper or expected based on reason or the situation.
显而易见xiǎn ér yì jiàn: Plainly clear from the facts or state of things and easy to see.
不言而喻bù yán ér yù: So obvious that everyone can understand it without needing words.

Definition in Chinese

用来形容根据自然或社会规则看，属于正当或应有的事情，带有强烈肯定的语气。yòng lái xíng róng gēn jù zì rán huò shè huì guī zé kàn shǔ yú zhèng dāng huò yīng yǒu de shì qíng dài yǒu qiáng liè kěn dìng de yǔ qì

Word origin

The expression combines 天 (tiān, "heaven") + 经 (jīng, "constant principle") with 地 (dì, "earth") + 义 (yì, "rightness") to join the order of the universe with the standards of human conduct.

Usage tips

  • Its strong certainty suits a discussion in which a speaker is justifying a position, but it can sound too weighty for a playful or very casual remark.

Opposites

  • 荒诞不经huāng dàn bù jīngabsurd and unreasonableidiom

Word lists with this word