xī息stopshì事affairníng宁pacifyrén人people
To patch things up; to smooth things over; to pour oil on troubled waters.
Literal meaning
stop (息) — affair (事) — pacify (宁) — people (人)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase, describing the act of calming down a situation to avoid conflict.
Examples
tā他zǒng总shì是xī息shì事níng宁rén人，bì避miǎn免chōng冲tū突。
He always tries to smooth things over to avoid conflict.
wèi为le了xī息shì事níng宁rén人，tā他xuǎn选zé择le了tuǒ妥xié协。
In order to smooth things over, he chose to compromise.
Usage & nuances
Often used to describe a situation where someone tries to avoid conflict by making concessions.
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