洁身自好

潔身自好
jiéshēnzìhào
idiom #36,449

Meanings

  1. 1 to keep oneself clean and pure
  2. 2 to preserve one's integrity
  3. 3 to stay out of trouble and avoid bad influences

Examples

Zài fùzá de huánjìng lǐ, tā shǐzhōng jiéshēnzìhào.
In a complicated environment, he has always kept himself clean and honest.
Miànduì yòuhuò, yào dǒngde jiéshēnzìhào.
In the face of temptation, you have to know how to keep your integrity.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·》: "而已" — "he simply returned and kept himself pure." Mencius on principled officials who retreated rather than compromise. Later reshaped as 洁身自好.
mistakes
here is 4th tone (hào, "to love; to prize"), not 3rd tone (hǎo, "good"). The idiom means "to prize keeping oneself clean," not "to be good oneself."

Stroke Order

jié
shēn
hǎo