English Explanatory Dictionary

a revolution is not a dinner party

English dictionary entry

Meanings

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

Word forms

a revolution is not a dinner party

Etymology

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.

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