各自为政

各自為政

gèzìwéizhèng

idiom #63,784

Meanings

1 each doing things in his own way
2 to act independently without coordination; fragmented administration

Characters

governance; affairs

Examples

部门之间各自为政，效率很低。

Bùmén zhījiān gèzìwéizhèng, xiàolǜ hěn dī.

The departments each act on their own and efficiency is low.

地方各自为政不利于统一管理。

Dìfāng gèzìwéizhèng bùlìyú tǒngyī guǎnlǐ.

Localities acting each on their own is bad for unified management.

团队成员各自为政，难以合作。

Tuánduì chéngyuán gèzìwéizhèng, nányǐ hézuò.

The team members each go their own way — cooperation is hard.

Tips

history

Recorded in 《左传·宣公二年》: a chariot driver given a stingy share of mutton drives his commander into enemy lines, saying 'yesterday the mutton was your call (子为政), today the chariot is mine (我为政)' — a pointed origin story about the cost of uncoordinated action.

Stroke Order

各 gè

自 zì

为 wèi

政 zhèng