四平八稳 (sì píng bā wěn) — very steady; well-organized; (positive) showing reliability and caution; overly cautious; lacking initiative; (negative) too conservative to take risks
Definition
An idiom describing an approach that is very steady and methodical, but often criticized as overly cautious and lacking initiative. The two senses are tied to tone: positive when praising reliability, negative when criticizing risk-aversion.
idiom
very steadywell-organized(positive) showing reliability and cautionoverly cautiouslacking initiative(negative) too conservative to take risks
Examples
- 四平八稳，，。Tā zuò shì sì píng bā wěn, cóng bù lǔ mǎng, dà jiā dōu hěn xìn rèn tā.He does things steadily and never acts rashly, so everyone trusts him.
- 四平八稳，，。Zhè ge fāng àn suī rán sì píng bā wěn, dàn quē fá chuàng xīn, kě néng bú shì hé kuài sù biàn huà de shì chǎng.Although this plan is very steady, it lacks innovation and may not suit a fast-changing market.
- 四平八稳，。Tā zhuī qiú sì píng bā wěn de shēng huó, bú yuàn yì mào rèn hé fēng xiǎn.She pursues a steady life and is unwilling to take any risks.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side
Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.
The senses of 四 as four and 平 as level, plus 八 as eight and 稳 as steady, describe something perfectly balanced.
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