一己之私

yījǐzhīsī

idiom

Meanings

1 one's own private interest
2 personal selfish gain
3 self-interest at the expense of others

Characters

(possessive particle)

private; selfish

Examples

HSK 4

他放下一己之私，全心投入志愿工作。

Tā fàngxià yījǐzhīsī, quán xīn tóurù zhìyuàn gōngzuò.

He set aside his own self-interest and threw himself into volunteer work.

HSK 7-9

他为了一己之私，竟然出卖了朋友。

Tā wèile yījǐzhīsī, jìngrán chūmài le péngyou.

For his own selfish gain, he actually betrayed his friend.

HSK 7-9

公职人员不能因一己之私损害公众利益。

Gōngzhí rényuán bùnéng yīn yījǐzhīsī sǔnhài gōngzhòng lìyì.

Public officials must not harm the public interest for their own private gain.

Tips

history

From 李格非's 《书洛阳名园记后》 (Northern Song): rulers who 放乎一己之私 - let private interest run wild - and forget the empire's order will lose their position. The phrase carries this old moral weight.

register

Formal and judgmental - used in editorials, court decisions, moral arguments. Rare in casual speech. Almost always negative; a near-synonym for 私心 (sīxīn) but heavier.

Stroke Order

一 yī

己 jǐ

之 zhī

私 sī