明哲保身
Chinese
wise; sensible; enlightened | to protect oneself; A combination in the Lingqijing. | ||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (明哲保身) | 明哲 | 保身 | |
simp. #(明哲保身) | 明哲 | 保身 |
Etymology
Contraction of a line from the Classic of Poetry:
- 既明且哲,以保其身。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]
- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Jì míng qiě zhé, yǐ bǎo qí shēn. [Pinyin]
- Intelligent is he and wise,
Protecting his own person.
Pronunciation
Idiom
明哲保身
- to protect or defend oneself with wisdom and sound judgement
- to protect oneself above all other considerations; to place one's own interests at the foremost
Usage notes
As chengyu, the connotation has gradually shifted away from the literal meaning. The second sense carries the connotation that protecting one's self-interest (保身) is the "wisdom" referred to by 明哲, and its use implies indifference, lack of altruism, unwillingness to take risk, etc., all of which considered practices of the wisdom.