📖 Meaning
Selfish and concerned only with personal gain. It describes someone whose motives are entirely self-serving, with little or no regard for others' interests or well-being. The phrase carries a strong negative moral judgment.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom draws from two classical sources. The Book of Jin (《晋书·潘尼传》, Biography of Pan Ni) states that troubles and sorrows arise from selfishness and grow out of desire: '忧患之接，必生于自私，而兴于有欲.' The Liezi (《列子·杨朱》, Yang Zhu chapter) likewise praises Yu the Great for not seeking profit only for himself: '大禹不以一身自利，一体偏枯.' Together these passages warn that excessive self-interest breeds misfortune, and the phrase came to denote a person ruled by private gain at the expense of others.
💡 Example Usage
他那自私自利的性格，让身边的朋友都渐渐疏远了他。
His thoroughly selfish nature gradually drove his friends away.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 自私自利
- Pinyin: zì sī zì lì
- Literal Translation: self, private, self, profit
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4