铁面无私

鐵面無私

tiěmiàn-wúsī

idiom #56,203

Meanings

1 strictly impartial and incorruptible
2 iron-faced and showing no favoritism

Characters

private; personal bias

Examples

这位法官铁面无私，连亲戚犯法也照罚不误。

Zhèwèi fǎguān tiěmiànwúsī, lián qīnqi fànfǎ yě zhào fá bù wù.

This judge is strictly impartial — even relatives who break the law are punished.

包青天铁面无私的形象深入人心。

Bāo Qīngtiān tiěmiànwúsī de xíngxiàng shēnrùrénxīn.

Bao Qingtian's image of iron impartiality is deeply rooted in people's hearts.

当领导就要铁面无私，不能徇私情。

Dāng lǐngdǎo jiùyào tiěmiànwúsī, bùnéng xún sīqíng.

Being a leader requires strict impartiality — no playing favorites.

Tips

history

Found in 《红楼梦》 Chapter 45: '必得你去做个监社御史，铁面无私才好' — 'we need you as poetry-club inspector; you must be iron-faced and impartial.' The phrase became especially associated with Song-dynasty judge Bao Zheng (包拯).

culture

Bao Zheng — Judge Bao / 包青天 — is the archetypal 铁面无私 figure in Chinese culture, traditionally depicted with a black face. Countless operas, novels, and TV dramas portray him punishing corrupt officials regardless of rank or family ties.

Stroke Order

铁 tiě

面 miàn

无 wú

私 sī