📖 Meaning
To discipline oneself and preserve one's moral integrity, refraining from associating with bad people or improper conduct. It emphasizes self-restraint and a commitment to personal virtue, much like the related phrase 束身自修. The idiom conveys a sense of guarding one's reputation and character against corruption.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Qing dynasty revolutionary Chen Tianhua's work 'On the History of the Chinese Revolution' (《中国革命史论》), where he writes that one who disciplines oneself dares not stray from proper conduct, lest history condemn them. The idiom is equivalent to the expression 束身自修, urging moral self-restraint and avoidance of complicity with wrongdoing. It was later famously invoked by Cai Yuanpei in his 1917 inaugural address as president of Peking University, exhorting students to uphold personal integrity during their studies.
💡 Example Usage
身为公职人员，更应束身自爱，不贪不占。
As public officials, we should all the more discipline ourselves and preserve our integrity, free from greed and corruption.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 束身自爱
- Pinyin: shù shēn zì ài
- Literal Translation: bind, body, self, love
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4