私利

sīlì

noun #23,606

Meanings

1 personal gain
2 selfish interest
3 private benefit

Characters

private / personal / selfish

benefit / profit / gain

Examples

他为了私利出卖了同伴。

Tā wèile sīlì chūmài le tóngbàn.

He betrayed his companions for personal gain.

官员不应该利用职权谋取私利。

Guānyuán bù yīnggāi lìyòng zhíquán móuqǔ sīlì.

Officials should not use their authority to seek personal gain.

他做事从不计较私利。

Tā zuòshì cóngbù jìjiào sīlì.

He never weighs personal gain in his actions.

Tips

usage

私利 almost always appears in a negative context — someone prioritizing 私利 (private benefit) over 公利 (gōnglì, public interest). A common phrase is 谋取私利 (móuqǔ sīlì) — to seek private gain.

Stroke Order

私 sī

利 lì