Chinese idiom · 成语
天经地义
Meaning
Heaven’s law and earth’s justice; unquestionable truth.
Character by character
Origin and story
Classical political philosophyIn the Zuozhuan (左傳), Duke Zhao’s twenty-fifth year, Zhao Jianzi asks Zitaishu about ritual courtesy. Zitaishu distinguishes outward ceremony from the deeper meaning of li, or ritual order. Recalling the teaching of Zichan, he calls it the constant pattern of heaven, the proper order of earth, and the guide for human conduct.
The idiom compresses the phrases 天之經 and 地之義. Its later use treats a principle as naturally right and beyond question, extending well beyond formal ritual. It tells us how strongly a speaker regards the claim, not that the claim has been objectively proven. Ideas once described this way may still be challenged by other people or later generations.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
别人愿意帮忙是情分，不能把他们的付出看成天经地义。
When others help, it's a kindness; you shouldn't treat their effort as something you're automatically entitled to.
A strong assertion of what is right or expected; commonly used when challenging an assumption of entitlement.