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大义灭亲

大義滅親
dàyìmièqīn
idiom #52,451

Meanings

  1. 1 to place righteousness above family ties
  2. 2 to punish one's own kin for the greater good

Examples

他大义灭亲，亲手把儿子送进了监狱。
Tā dàyìmièqīn, qīnshǒu bǎ érzi sòngjìnle jiānyù.
Putting justice before family, he personally sent his son to prison.
这件事需要大义灭亲的勇气。
Zhè jiàn shì xūyào dàyìmièqīn de yǒngqì.
This case requires the courage to put principle before kin.

Tips

history
From 《左传·隐公四年》, praising 石碏 (Shí Què) for killing his own son, who had helped murder a ruler. The original phrasing ended 大义灭亲，其是之谓乎.

Stroke Order

大 dà
义 yì
灭 miè
亲 qīn