人心不古
人心不古 (rén xīn bù gǔ) literally means “people's hearts not ancient” and expresses “moral decline”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: ren xin bu gu, ren xin bu gu,人心不古 meaning, 人心不古 in english
Moral decline
Pronunciation: rén xīn bù gǔ Literal meaning: People's hearts not ancient
Origin & Usage
Hearts (人心) are not (不) as they were in antiquity (古). The sentiment is older than any particular formulation of it, and every era has produced its own version: people were more honest once, agreements needed no paper, neighbours could be trusted. The idiom is worth learning partly as vocabulary and partly as a warning, since it is the standard opening of a certain kind of complaint. Chinese speakers use it half seriously, and a younger speaker using it about their own generation is usually being wry.
Examples
English: "People today are less trustworthy than in the past"
Chinese: 如今的人心不古，信任变得稀少
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
博古通今
bó gǔ tōng jīn
Wise and learned
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大快人心
dà kuài rén xīn
Satisfaction at a wrong being punished
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诲人不倦
huì rén bù juàn
Teach with tireless patience
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心照不宣
xīn zhào bù xuān
Tacit understanding; unspoken agreement
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杞人忧天
qǐ rén yōu tiān
Worry needlessly about impossible disasters
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差强人意
chā qiáng rén yì
Broadly satisfactory, better than feared
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人山人海
rén shān rén hǎi
Vast crowds of people
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庸人自扰
yōng rén zì rǎo
Creating unnecessary troubles for oneself
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 人心不古 mean in English?
人心不古 (rén xīn bù gǔ) literally translates to “People's hearts not ancient” and is used to express “Moral decline”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 人心不古 used?
Situation: People today are less trustworthy than in the past
What is the pinyin for 人心不古?
The pinyin pronunciation for 人心不古 is “rén xīn bù gǔ”.