📖 Meaning
To pursue benefit without compromising righteousness. It describes the principle that one can seek advantage while still upholding moral integrity. The idiom emphasizes that material gain should never come at the expense of justice.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Record of Rites' (礼记·儒行), a Confucian classic compiled during the Han dynasty from earlier Zhou-era sources. In the passage, Confucius describes the character of a true scholar (儒), stating that even when entrusted with wealth and immersed in pleasures, a gentleman sees profit yet does not impair righteousness. The text was part of a larger discourse on the moral standards expected of Confucian scholars, dating back to the Spring and Autumn period.
💡 Example Usage
真正的商人逐利却不昧心，始终坚守利不亏义的底线。
A true merchant pursues profit without compromising conscience, always holding fast to the principle of seeking gain without impairing righteousness.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 利不亏义
- Pinyin: lì bù kuī yì
- Literal Translation: profit, not, impair, righteousness
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4