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损人利己 (sǔn rén lì jǐ) — harming others for one's own benefit (idiom)

Definition

Means harming others to benefit oneself. Compared to 见利忘义, which focuses on abandoning moral principles for profit, 损人利己 emphasizes the active harm done to others.

phrase
harming others for one's own benefit (idiom)

Examples

  • 损人利己。
    Tā zhè zhǒng sǔn rén lì jǐ de xíng wéi ràng rén fēi cháng shī wàng.
    His behavior of harming others for his own benefit is very disappointing.
  • 损人利己，。
    Zuò shēng yi bù néng sǔn rén lì jǐ, fǒu zé chí zǎo huì shī qù xìn yù.
    In business, you cannot harm others for your own benefit, otherwise you will lose credibility sooner or later.
  • 损人利己。
    sǔn rén lì jǐ De zuò fǎ zuì zhōng huì sǔn hài zì jǐ de lì yì.
    The practice of harming others for personal gain will ultimately harm your own interests.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 損; 损 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
員
員yuán損sǔn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 損 pairs 手 (hand) with 員 as a sound part; the simplified 损 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the original components.

Open 损 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

Open 利 →

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

The 己 shape is a picture of a silk rope used to bind objects.

Open 己 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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