坦坦荡荡

Pronunciation: tǎn tǎn dàng dàng Literal meaning: Open and broad-minded

Origin & Usage

Confucius set two types against each other: 君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚 — the gentleman is open (坦) and broad (荡), the small man is forever fretting. The doubling in both halves is the original's and does tonal work, giving the first a spaciousness and the second a nagging rhythm. What the phrase claims is a connection rather than a virtue: the openness and the absence of anxiety are one fact, because somebody with nothing hidden has nothing to keep track of. A person who can be looked into.

Examples

English: "He lived his life with nothing to hide or regret."

Chinese: 他活得坦坦荡荡，无愧于心。