📖 Meaning
To ruin one's own family for the sake of the nation. It metaphorically describes selfless devotion and willingness to sacrifice personal interests for a greater public cause. The idiom highlights patriotism that places national duty above private wellbeing.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not trace to a single canonical classical text but reflects a recurring theme in Chinese history where officials and patriots sacrificed family wealth and safety for the state. Similar acts of selfless sacrifice are recorded across dynasties, particularly during times of war or national crisis. The closely related phrase 毁家纾难, recorded in the Zuo Zhuan (左传) regarding Duke Zhuang of Zheng, conveys the same spirit of liquidating one's household to relieve the nation's peril. Over time, 破家为国 became a standalone expression praising those who put country before family.
💡 Example Usage
他破家为国，倾尽家产支援前线抗战。
He ruined his own family for the nation, giving away his entire fortune to support the frontline war effort.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 破家为国
- Pinyin: pò jiā wéi guó
- Literal Translation: destroy, family, for, country
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4