天經地義

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See also: 天经地义

Chinese

day; sky; heaven
classics; sacred book; pass through
classics; sacred book; pass through; to undergo; scripture
 
earth; ground; field
earth; ground; field; place; land; (subor. part. adverbial); ‑ly
 
 justice; righteousness; meaning
trad. (天經地義) 天 經 地 義
simp. (天经地义) 天 经 地 义

Etymology

From an aphorism posthumously attributed to Zichan (子產) by You Ji (aka. Zitaishu, 子大叔) as recorded in the Zuozhuan.

夫禮，天之經也，地之義也，民之行也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
夫礼，天之经也，地之义也，民之行也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4th century BCE
Fú lǐ, tiān zhī jīng yě, dì zhī yì yě, mín zhī xìng yě.
Propriety, it is the unchanging ways of heaven, the just ways of earth, and the rightful path of every human being.

Pronunciation

Idiom

天經地義

  1. conforming to the traditional Chinese notion of the rules of heaven and the principles of Earth; that which is taken as a matter of course; proper practice or convention; time-honoured principle
    欠債還錢，天經地義 [MSC, trad.]
    欠债还钱，天经地义 [MSC, simp.]
    qiànzhài háiqián, tiānjīngdìyì
    It is a matter of course to pay debts when one owes money.
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