📖 Meaning
To sacrifice one's own interests, benefits, or even safety for the sake of other people. It describes a selfless act of putting others before oneself, often at personal cost. The phrase is regarded as a noble moral virtue in Chinese culture.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a commentary by the Song dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi on the Analects (Lunyu), specifically the 'Xianjin' chapter. In the original passage, Confucius sighs in admiration for his disciple Zeng Dian (also called Zeng Xi), whose carefree spirit seemed to flow in harmony with heaven, earth, and all things. Zhu Xi annotated that Zeng Dian had no initial intention of '舍己为人' (sacrificing himself for others), yet his mind was naturally at ease and in tune with the cosmos. Over the centuries, this excerpted phrase evolved from Zhu Xi's commentary into an independent idiom denoting selfless altruism.
💡 Example Usage
他在危难时刻舍己为人的精神感动了所有人。
His spirit of sacrificing himself for others in times of danger moved everyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 舍己为人
- Pinyin: shě jǐ wèi rén
- Literal Translation: give up, self, for, others
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4