重文輕武 zhòng wén qīng wǔ

value civil over military; neglect armed defense

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. to value letters and belittle arms (idiom); to stress civil matters and neglect the military
  2. 2. to prefer the pen to the sword

Characters

Character Meaning
重 zhòng HSK 3
heavy; to attach importance to; serious
文 wén HSK 3
writing; culture; language
輕 qīng
light; easy; gentle
武 wǔ HSK 5
martial; military; surname Wu