How to say "it's easier to invite the devil in than to send him away" in Chinese

When To Use It

"it's easier to invite the devil in than to send him away" maps to 请神容易送神难 (qǐng shén róng yì sòng shén nán), a neutral social phrase for social situations.

This phrase fits casual social contact, quick check-ins, and low-pressure interactions with friends or acquaintances.

Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.

Tone And Delivery

The register is neutral, which makes it flexible: safe in most daily situations without sounding stiff or overly intimate.

Because this is marked advanced, pay attention to nuance, tone, and whether a simpler phrase might be safer in fast conversation.

A good practice target is the example sentence 请神容易送神难 (qǐng shén róng yì sòng shén nán). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.

Practice Ideas

This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 梁唐晋汉周书 (liáng táng jìn hàn zhōu shū).

A second nearby phrase to review is 单方过失碰撞 (dān fāng guò shī pèng zhuàng), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.

• Read the example “it's easier to invite the devil in than to send him away” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
• Pair it with “Another name for History of the Five Dynasties between Tang and Song 舊五代史|旧五代史[Jiu4 Wu3 dai4 shi3]” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
• Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
• If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.