舍我其谁

捨我其誰
shěwǒ-qíshuí
idiom #67,989

Meanings

  1. 1 if not me, then who?
  2. 2 I am the one - there's no one else fit for the job

Examples

HSK 5
Guānjiàn shíkè tǐngshēn'érchū, shěwǒqíshuí!
Stand up at the critical moment - if not me, who?
HSK 5
Tā yī fù shěwǒqíshuí de yàngzi, zhǔdòng jiē xià le rènwù.
With a 'who else would it be' air, she took on the task herself.
HSK 7-9
Zhège xiàngmù tā shì fùzérén, shěwǒqíshuí de qìshì hěn míngxiǎn.
He's the project lead, and his 'I'm the only one for this' attitude is obvious.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·公孙丑下》: 如欲平治天下,当今之世,舍我其谁也? - 'if we wish to bring order to the world, in this age, who but me?' Mencius's bold self-assertion became the template for the idiom.
register
Conveys strong self-confidence - admirable bravado or arrogant grandstanding depending on context. Common with 气势, 精神, 的样子. Often rhetorical rather than literal: the speaker is claiming they're the right person for the job.

Stroke Order

shě
shéi