📖 Meaning
To be crooked oneself yet try to straighten others. It describes a hypocrite whose own conduct is improper but who presumes to correct or guide other people. The idiom implies that moral authority over others requires first being upright oneself.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Mencius (《孟子·万章上》), a text of the Warring States period. In dialogue with his disciple Wan Zhang, Mencius discusses whether a person of virtue should seek office through improper means. Mencius declares, 'I have never heard of one who is crooked himself yet can correct others' (吾未闻枉己而正人者也), arguing that compromising one's own integrity disqualifies a person from reforming anyone else. The saying became a classic admonition against moral hypocrisy in leadership and self-cultivation.
💡 Example Usage
身为领导若自身贪腐，却要求下属廉洁奉公，岂非枉己正人？
If a leader is corrupt yet demands integrity from subordinates, is that not a case of being crooked oneself while trying to correct others?
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 枉己正人
- Pinyin: wǎng jǐ zhèng rén
- Literal Translation: crooked, oneself, correct, others
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4