📖 Meaning
To sell oneself and attach to a powerful figure. It metaphorically describes someone who abandons all self-respect and willingly becomes a tool of an evil or powerful faction in exchange for personal gain.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a commentary by the modern writer Lu Xun in his essay collection 'Zhun Feng Yue Tan' (Quasi-Chats on Wind and Moon). In the postface, Lu Xun observed the henchmen serving wealthy families and reflected on how those in the late Ming dynasty who sold themselves to powerful patrons were equally treacherous and sinister. The expression crystallizes Lu Xun's contempt for opportunists who betray their integrity to curry favor with the powerful. It has since become a standard condemnation of political or social sycophancy.
💡 Example Usage
他为了升官发财，竟然卖身投靠了那个贪官。
He actually sold himself and threw in his lot with that corrupt official just to get promoted and get rich.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 卖身投靠
- Pinyin: mài shēn tóu kào
- Literal Translation: sell, body, throw, lean on
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4