息事宁人 (xī shì níng rén) — to patch up a quarrel and reconcile the parties; to make concessions to avoid trouble
Definition
An idiom meaning 'to smooth things over and avoid trouble,' usually by making concessions rather than pressing a dispute. It carries a negative tone — implying a妥协 (compromise) that dodges conflict instead of resolving it on principle.
idiom
to patch up a quarrel and reconcile the partiesto make concessions to avoid trouble
Examples
- 息事宁人，。Wèi le xī shì níng rén, tā zhǔ dòng xiàng duì fāng dào qiàn.To patch things up, he voluntarily apologized to the other party.
- ，息事宁人。Yǔ qí jì xù zhēng chǎo, bù rú xī shì níng rén.Rather than keep arguing, it's better to make concessions and avoid trouble.
- 息事宁人，。Lǎo bǎn zǒng shì xuǎn zé xī shì níng rén, bú yuàn dé zuì rèn hé yī fāng.The boss always chooses to smooth things over, unwilling to offend either side.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.