Chinese Idiom: 假仁假义 (Jia Ren Jia Yi)
English Translation: False benevolence and false righteousness
pīn yīn: jiǎ rén jiǎ yì
Idiom Meaning: This idiom refers to insincere or feigned compassion and righteousness, suggesting a superficial display of kindness or morality that lacks genuine intent.
Historical Source: Mencius (《孟子》) – “On the King of Liang, Part One.”
Idiom Story:
During the Warring States period, King Xuan of Qi was reading in his hall when he heard the sound of a cow being led past. Curious, he looked up and saw the cow trembling in fear. Moved by its pitiful state, he asked the servant, “Where are you taking that cow?”
The servant replied, “It’s a sacrificial day today; I’m taking it to be slaughtered for the ritual.”
Seeing the cow shivering, King Xuan felt a surge of compassion and exclaimed, “You should let it go! It’s trembling and looks innocent. How can I bear to send it to the slaughterhouse?”
The servant responded, “If you release the cow, then does that mean we will not perform the ritual?”
King Xuan replied, “That’s not what I mean. We must still perform the sacrifice, but let’s use a sheep instead.”
With this exchange, the servant realized that the king’s so-called benevolence was merely a deceptive act of substituting one victim for another, a “change of soup without changing the medicine.” He was simply avoiding the moral weight of killing the cow by suggesting a less valuable animal instead.
This story illustrates the essence of the idiom “假仁假义,” which critiques the façade of kindness that masks a lack of true compassion and integrity. Today, it is used to describe those who pretend to be benevolent while their actions reveal self-serving motives.
