📖 Meaning
To uphold justice and fairness without bending to personal interests or favoritism. It describes a person who handles matters impartially and refuses to compromise their principles, even under pressure. The idiom embodies the Confucian ideal of moral rectitude in both public and private life.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Biography of Liu Xiang' in the Book of Han (《汉书·刘向传》), where the Han dynasty scholar-official Liu Xiang wrote that 'a gentleman, even when alone, upholds righteousness and does not bend to the crooked ways of the masses' (君子独处守正，不桡众枉). Liu Xiang was a prominent Confucian scholar and imperial librarian during the Western Han dynasty who often remonstrated with the emperor against corruption. The idiom distills his counsel into a compact moral principle that has been cited for over two thousand years as the standard for official integrity.
💡 Example Usage
这位法官守正不阿，从不向权势低头。
This judge upholds justice without favoritism, never bowing to the powerful.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 守正不阿
- Pinyin: shǒu zhèng bù ē
- Literal Translation: uphold, righteousness, not, partial
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4