Definition
设身处地 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'place yourself in the other person's position'. It's used to advise or describe the act of empathizing with someone else's situation — imagining how you would feel or act if you were in their shoes. It often appears in the pattern 设身处地 + 为/替 + someone + 想/考虑 ('think/consider from someone's perspective').
f.e.
to put oneself in someone else's positionto be empathetic and considerate
Examples
- 设身处地，。Nǐ yīnggāi shè shēn chǔ dì wèi tā xiǎng yì xiǎng, tā yě yǒu nánchù.You should put yourself in his shoes — he has difficulties too.
- 设身处地，，？shè shēn chǔ dì de kǎolǜ yíxià, rúguǒ nǐ shì tā, nǐ huì zěnme zuò?Think about it from his perspective — if you were him, what would you do?
- 设身处地，。Tā zuò shì zǒng néng shè shēn chǔ dì, suǒyǐ dàjiā dōu hěn xìnrèn tā.He always puts himself in others' shoes when doing things, so everyone trusts him.
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