持之有故

You usually use this to validate a theory or a decision. It often appears alongside its 'best friend' phrase 言之成理. Together, they mean 'it sounds logical and is backed by facts.' You can use it to praise a colleague's proposal. You can also use it to defend your own controversial take. Just make sure you actually have the evidence ready!

Use it in a meeting when a strategy makes total sense. Use it when discussing a book or a movie theory. It works great when you want to sound intellectually rigorous. If your friend predicts a stock market crash and shows you charts, this is your phrase. It adds a layer of respect to the conversation. It says, 'I see the work you put into this thought.'

Don't use this for purely emotional or subjective things. If you say 'I like ice cream,' you don't need to be 持之有故. That is just a vibe. Avoid using it in very casual slang-heavy chats with teenagers. It might make you sound like a professor at a party. Nobody wants to be the 'well, actually' person at 2 AM. Keep it for when logic actually matters.

This phrase comes from ancient Chinese philosophy and literary criticism. It was famously used by Xunzi, a Confucian philosopher. He used it to describe arguments that were well-founded. In Chinese culture, being 'grounded' is a huge virtue. It shows you are a person of substance, not just hot air. It reflects a deep respect for historical precedent and logical consistency.

You will almost always see it as 持之有故，言之成理. This is the 'gold standard' for a solid argument. Sometimes people just use the first half in academic writing. In modern web slang, people might just say '有理有据' (yǒu lǐ yǒu jù). That is the more 'street' version of this classy expression. Think of 持之有故 as the tuxedo version.