敬 而 远 之

jìng ér yuǎn zhīdictionary entry

to show respect from a distance (idiom) / to remain at a respectful distance

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-66a405725e236250. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

敬而遠之 敬而远之 [jing4 er2 yuan3 zhi1] /to show respect from a distance (idiom)/to remain at a respectful distance/

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: 敬而遠之

敬
jìng
(bound form) respectful / to respect / to offer politely
而
ér
and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)
远
yuǎn
far / distant / remote / (intensifier in a comparison) by far / much (lower etc)
yuàn
to distance oneself from (classical)
之
zhī
(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.