就得用他的道还他的道
“we have to use his own methods against him.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
咱遇到君子 当然以君子之道敬他 遇到这种小人
“When we meet a gentleman, of course we treat him with respect. When we meet this kind of petty person,”
就得 用他的道还他的道
“we have to use his own methods against him.”
“Are you too embarrassed? Too proud to do it?”
“Drop the high road; we have to play dirty just like he does to beat him.”
Traditional Confucian ethics value benevolence with honorable people (Junzi), but popular philosophy endorses ruthless reciprocity when dealing with petty scoundrels (Xiaoren).
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to pay someone back in their own coin; give them a taste of their own medicine
Here shortened to spoken phrasing '用他的道还他的道', indicating reciprocal retribution.
must; simply ought to
A strong spoken modal phrase asserting an unavoidable or necessary course of action.
