移风易俗
yí fēng yì sú
to reform old customs and habits
Character by character
移yí
shift
shift
风fēng
custom
custom
易yì
change
change
俗sú
habit
habit
Example
村里推行移风易俗，彩礼和酒席都定了上限。
The village is reforming its customs: bride prices and banquets now have caps.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
An old phrase (《孝经》: 移风易俗，莫善于乐, nothing changes customs like music). Today it is a policy word for curbing lavish weddings, funerals and sky-high bride prices.
Learn this in Lesson 10 · HSK 5: 五十六个民族 (The 56 ethnic groups)
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