私自

sīzì

adverb HSK 7-9 #12,827

Meanings

1 without permission
2 secretly
3 on one's own initiative (unauthorized)

Characters

private; secret

self; by oneself

Literally 'privately by oneself' — doing something without permission

Examples

员工不得私自泄露公司机密。

Yuángōng bùdé sīzì xièlòu gōngsī jīmì.

Employees must not privately disclose company secrets.

他私自动用了公款。

Tā sīzì dòngyòng le gōngkuǎn.

He used public funds without authorization.

Tips

usage

私自 has a negative connotation — doing something you shouldn't without authorization. Compare with 私下 (privately, neutral) which just means in private.

Stroke Order

私 sī

自 zì