潜移默化
- Literal
- to shift covertly, to transform silently
- Figurative
- To change someone little by little and without their noticing, through the steady influence of surroundings, company, or habit.
Where does 潜移默化 come from?
The idea comes from the 《颜氏家训》, the family instructions that Yan Zhitui wrote for his sons in the sixth century. In the chapter on keeping good company he warns that a young person's character is not yet set, so they end up resembling the people around them: the words and gestures rub off without any intention to copy them. Yan Zhitui calls this 潜移暗化, "shifting covertly, changing in the shadows"; the version with 默 ("silently") used today settled later. Hence the modern sense: a slow influence you cannot feel while it happens, visible only in the result.
Source (出处): 颜之推《颜氏家训》
How is 潜移默化 used? Two examples
- 父母的习惯会潜移默化地影响孩子。
Parents' habits shape their children bit by bit, without anyone noticing.
- 在这里住了两年，我的生活方式也在潜移默化中改变了。
After two years living here, my way of life has quietly changed too.
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