📖 Meaning
Refers to the petty integrity or rigid adherence to minor moral principles that an ordinary person clings to. It often implies misplaced loyalty or scrupulousness over trivial matters at the expense of larger, more important goals. The term carries a mildly critical tone, suggesting that such stubbornness is short-sighted.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Analects (《论语·宪问》), where Confucius remarks that one should not be like a common man or woman who clings to petty integrity and hangs himself in a ditch without anyone knowing. The Later Han History (《后汉书·皇甫嵩硃俊传论》) quotes this, criticizing those who abandoned great enterprises that could move heaven in favor of pursuing the petty scruples of an ordinary person, ending up in dire straits and mocked by the wise.
💡 Example Usage
含冤自经，虽类匹夫小谅，实出万不得已。
Though taking his own life to protest his grievance resembles the petty integrity of a common man, it was truly a last resort.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 匹夫小谅
- Pinyin: pǐ fū xiǎo liàng
- Literal Translation: common man, small, integrity
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4