📖 Meaning
To exploit public office or official duties for personal gain. It describes someone who hides self-serving motives behind the guise of legitimate public business. The idiom condemns corruption carried out under the pretext of serving the public good.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Book of Later Han (后汉书), in the biography of Li Gu, an upright scholar-official of the Eastern Han dynasty. Li Gu was known for his integrity and outspoken criticism of corrupt court politics, which eventually led to his execution by the powerful minister Liang Ji. The original text reads '因公假私，依正行邪' — using public duty to appropriate private benefit, following the correct path in appearance while acting wickedly in reality — condemning officials who abused their positions under virtuous pretexts.
💡 Example Usage
他在任上因公假私，中饱私囊，终被御史弹劾查办。
While in office he exploited public duties for personal gain and lined his own pockets, until the censor impeached and prosecuted him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 因公假私
- Pinyin: yīn gōng jiǎ sī
- Literal Translation: using, public office, appropriate, private gain
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4