📖 Meaning
To betray one's country by colluding with enemies and selling out national interests in exchange for personal wealth and advantage. It is synonymous with 卖国求荣 (selling out the country for glory). The idiom condemns treason motivated by selfish greed.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the more widely used 卖国求荣, with no single definitive origin text. It draws on a recurring theme in Chinese historiography where officials or individuals colluded with foreign enemies, betraying their nation for personal enrichment. Such treachery was universally condemned as the gravest offense against the state. Historical figures like Qin Hui (秦桧) of the Southern Song Dynasty are often cited as archetypes of this betrayal.
💡 Example Usage
历史上那些卖国求利的小人，最终都被钉在了耻辱柱上。
Throughout history, those petty traitors who sold out the country for personal gain were ultimately nailed to the pillar of shame.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 卖国求利
- Pinyin: mài guó qiú lì
- Literal Translation: sell, country, seek, profit
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4