一團和氣

一團和氣

1. to keep on good terms with everyone at the expense of principle; to keep on the right side of everyone

   • 明知不對，也不同他們作原則上的爭論，任其下去，求得和平和親熱。或者輕描淡寫地說一頓，不作徹底解決，保持一團和氣。 [MSC, trad.]
     明知不对，也不同他们作原则上的争论，任其下去，求得和平和亲热。或者轻描淡写地说一顿，不作彻底解决，保持一团和气。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1937, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《反對自由主義》 (Combat Liberalism), 《毛澤東選集》 (Selected Works of Mao Zedong). English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

     Míngzhī bùduì, yě bù tóng tāmen zuò yuánzé shàng de zhēnglùn, rèn qí xiàqù, qiú dé hépíng hé qīnrè. Huòzhě qīngmiáodànxiě de shuō yī dùn, bù zuò chèdǐ jiějué, bǎochí yītuánhéqì. [Pinyin]

     To let things slide for the sake of peace and friendship when a person has clearly gone wrong, and refrain from principled argument. Or to touch on the matter lightly instead of going into it thoroughly, so as to keep on good terms.