📖 Meaning
To betray or sell out public interests in order to pursue personal gain. It describes corrupt behavior where someone in a position of trust exploits public resources for private profit.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Biography of Zhao Hei' in the Book of Wei (魏书), a history of the Northern Wei dynasty. Zhao Hei was an official who, despite holding high office with generous salary, insisted that betraying public interests for personal gain was never his true desire. The original quote reads: 'With high office and generous salary, one is already self-sufficient; selling out the public for private gain was never my wish.' The phrase thus became a warning against corruption and abuse of public office.
💡 Example Usage
那些卖公营私的贪官最终都受到了法律的严惩。
Those corrupt officials who betrayed public interests for private gain were ultimately severely punished by the law.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 卖公营私
- Pinyin: mài gōng yíng sī
- Literal Translation: sell public, pursue private
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4