📖 Meaning
To conduct oneself according to righteous principles and upright ways. It describes someone who grounds their actions in morality and walks a path of integrity. The phrase emphasizes living by ethical standards rather than expediency.
📜 Origin Story
This is a classical Chinese expression with no single identifiable literary origin. It draws on Confucian ethical ideals where 据义 means to uphold righteousness and 履方 means to walk a proper, upright path. The combination reflects the traditional virtue of aligning one's conduct with moral principles, a theme found throughout early Chinese philosophical texts. No specific historical anecdote is associated with it.
💡 Example Usage
他一生据义履方，从不为利益而违背原则。
He lived his whole life according to righteousness and integrity, never compromising his principles for profit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 据义履方
- Pinyin: jù yì lǚ fāng
- Literal Translation: according to righteousness, tread the square path
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4