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以直报怨，以德报德

yǐ zhí bào yuàn , yǐ dé bào dédictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to repay kindness with kindness, and repay enmity with justice (idiom, from Analects)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-0bfc05b23b798ec7. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

以直報怨，以德報德 以直报怨，以德报德 [yi3 zhi2 bao4 yuan4 , yi3 de2 bao4 de2] /to repay kindness with kindness, and repay enmity with justice (idiom, from Analects)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 以直報怨，以德報德

  • 以
    yǐ

    to use / by means of / according to / in order to / because of / at (a certain date or place)

    Yǐ

    abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yǐ sè liè]

  • 直
    zhí

    straight / to straighten / fair and reasonable / frank / straightforward / (indicates continuing motion or action) / vertical / vertical downward stroke in Chinese characters

    Zhí

    surname Zhi / Zhi (c. 2000 BC), fifth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝[Yán dì] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shén nóng] Farmer God

  • 报
    bào

    to report / to inform / to announce / to respond / to reply / to sign up for / to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bào míng]) / to reward / to recompense / to take revenge / to retaliate / newspaper / periodical / journal / bulletin / telegram

  • 怨
    yuàn

    to blame / (bound form) resentment / hatred / grudge

  • 以
    yǐ

    to use / by means of / according to / in order to / because of / at (a certain date or place)

    Yǐ

    abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yǐ sè liè]

  • 德
    dé

    virtue / goodness / morality / ethics / kindness / favor / character / kind

    Dé

    Germany / German / abbr. for 德國|德国[Dé guó]

  • 报
    bào

    to report / to inform / to announce / to respond / to reply / to sign up for / to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bào míng]) / to reward / to recompense / to take revenge / to retaliate / newspaper / periodical / journal / bulletin / telegram

  • 德
    dé

    virtue / goodness / morality / ethics / kindness / favor / character / kind

    Dé

    Germany / German / abbr. for 德國|德国[Dé guó]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.