a revolution is not a dinner party

proverb

In order to achieve something, courtesy, long-held norms, and other such formalities must be dropped.

OriginChinese 革命不是請客吃飯 /革命不是请客吃饭 →
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Meanings

proverb
  1. In order to achieve something, courtesy, long-held norms, and other such formalities must be dropped.

Origin

  1. Chinese革命不是請客吃飯 /革命不是请客吃饭
  2. Englisha revolution is not a dinner party

Calque of Chinese 革命不是請客吃飯 /革命不是请客吃饭 (gémìng bùshì qǐngkè chīfàn, literally “revolution is not having guests to eat a meal”). An aphoristic political statement by Mao Zedong, defending violence as a means of imposing a different societal order; for more, see Wikipedia at revolution is not a dinner party.

More words from Chinese

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Cite this entry
APA

a revolution is not a dinner party. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20revolution%20is%20not%20a%20dinner%20party

MLA

“a revolution is not a dinner party.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20revolution%20is%20not%20a%20dinner%20party. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a revolution is not a dinner party,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20revolution%20is%20not%20a%20dinner%20party.

Source: a revolution is not a dinner party on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.