小我 (xiǎo wǒ) — the individual self, the ego (as opposed to the greater self)

Definition

小我 (xiǎo wǒ) literally means 'small self' — it refers to the ego, one's narrow personal self-interest, set against 大我 ('greater self', the collective or higher cause). Common in philosophical, reflective, or ethical writing about selflessness.

pronoun
the individual selfthe ego (as opposed to the greater self)

Examples

  • ，小我，。
    Zài jí tǐ zhōng, tā yuàn yì xī shēng xiǎo wǒ, wèi dà jiā fú wù.
    In the collective, he is willing to sacrifice his individual self to serve everyone.
  • ，小我，。
    Xiū liàn nèi xīn, fàng xià xiǎo wǒ, cái néng dá dào gèng gāo de jìng jiè.
    By cultivating the mind and letting go of the ego, one can reach a higher state.
  • 小我，。
    Tā tài zài yì xiǎo wǒ, suǒ yǐ zǒng shì hū lüè bié rén de gǎn shòu.
    He cares too much about his own self, so he always neglects others' feelings.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

小xiǎosmall
我wǒself

小 means small and 我 means self; together the individual self, as opposed to a larger collective.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

The glyph 我 originally drew a trident-like weapon. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write the pronoun "I", so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 我 →

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