吃软不吃硬

吃软不吃硬

Literally means:

eat the soft rather than the hard

Actually means:

be open to modest persuasion but not to coercion

It means prefering soft rather than hard things. It is used to describe a person who is open to modest persuasion but not to hard coercion.

It is usually used to qualify a person's style when dealing with others.

吃软的东西，不吃硬的东西，比喻接受温和的方式（态度平和地劝说、提醒、批评等），不接受强硬的方式（强迫、恐吓、威胁等）。

常用来形容一个人在跟别人交往时处理事情的一种习惯或风格。