心平气和

Pronunciation: xīn píng qì hé Literal meaning: Heart calm and breath harmonious

Origin & Usage

A level (平) heart (心) and settled (和) breath (气). The pairing is not decorative: 气 is the moving part of a person in Chinese medicine, and its state and the emotions are treated as one system, so steadying the breathing and steadying the temper are a single operation described twice. Su Shi uses the phrase of himself in old age. What it names is the condition under which an argument can actually be had, which is why Chinese reaches for it as an instruction — 心平气和地谈, talk about it calmly — more often than as a description.

Examples

English: "Let's discuss this matter calmly and rationally."

Chinese: 让我们心平气和地讨论这件事。