软硬兼施 ruǎn yìng jiān shī

use both carrot and stick; use gentle methods and force

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 39660th word

Definitions

  1. 1. use both carrot and stick
  2. 2. use gentle methods and force
  3. 3. an iron hand in a velvet glove

Characters

Character Meaning
软 ruǎn HSK 5
soft; flexible; variant of 軟ruǎn
硬 yìng HSK 5
hard; firm; stiff
兼 jiān HSK 5
holding two or more (official) posts at the same time
施 shī HSK 5
to carry out; to give; to grant