处变不惊 (chǔ biàn bù jīng) — to remain calm and composed in the face of crisis or sudden change

Definition

A chengyu praising a person who stays calm and composed when crisis or sudden change hits — a leadership-quality trait, not everyday composure. Note the chǔ here is the literary 'to face/handle', unrelated to the common noun 处 (place).

idiom
to remain calm and composed in the face of crisis or sudden change

Examples

  • 处变不惊
    Miàn duì tū rú qí lái de wēi jī, tā yī rán chǔ biàn bù jīng, lěng jìng chǔ lǐ.
    Facing the sudden crisis, he remained calm and handled it coolly.
  • 处变不惊
    Yí wèi yōu xiù de lǐng dǎo zhě bì xū zuò dào chǔ biàn bù jīng.
    An excellent leader must be able to stay composed in the face of change.
  • 处变不惊
    Tā zài tán pàn zhōng chǔ biàn bù jīng, yíng dé le duì fāng de zūn zhòng.
    He remained unflappable during the negotiations and earned the other side's respect.

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