📖 Meaning
To form cliques and factions to pursue personal gain. It describes corrupt officials or individuals who build networks of loyalists to advance their own interests rather than serving the public good. The phrase carries a strongly negative connotation, often applied to political corruption.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the New Book of Tang (《新唐书》), specifically in the biography of Xiao Zhizhong (萧至忠), a prominent official of the Tang Dynasty. The text notes that Zong Chuke (宗楚客), a powerful and scheming minister, harbored treachery and cultivated factions to consolidate his power. Zong Chuke allied with Empress Wei's faction during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong, amassing enormous influence through nepotism and cronyism. His clique-building ultimately contributed to political instability, and he was killed during the coup that restored Emperor Ruizong. The idiom thus became a lasting condemnation of those who prioritize factional loyalty over public duty.
💡 Example Usage
他在朝中植党营私，排挤异己，最终惹得众叛亲离。
He formed factions in the court to pursue his own interests and ostracized dissenters, ultimately ending up abandoned by everyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 植党营私
- Pinyin: zhí dǎng yíng sī
- Literal Translation: plant, faction, seek, private
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4