欲揚先抑

欲扬先抑
yùyángxiānyì
  1. (literary) to denigrate so as to exalt; break down to build up; character building
  2. to denigrate so as to exalt; break down to build up; character building

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

=1 欲 yù
  1. desire
  2. appetite
  3. passion
  4. lust
  5. greed
=1 欲 yù
  1. to wish for
  2. to desire
  3. variant of 慾 yù
=2 揚 Yáng
  1. abbr. for Yangzhou 揚州 Yángzhōu in Jiangsu
  2. surname Yang
=2 揚 yáng
  1. to raise
  2. to hoist
  3. the action of tossing or winnowing
  4. scattering (in the wind)
  5. to flutter
  6. to propagate
=3 先 xiān
  1. beforehand; first; earlier
  2. at first; originally
  3. for the time being; for now
  4. (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)
=3 先 xiǎn only used in 先馬／先马
4 抑 yì
  1. to restrain
  2. to restrict
  3. to keep down
  4. or