独善其身 (dú shàn qí shēn) — to look after one's own moral cultivation (original classical sense); (derogatory) to be self-absorbed, to care only about oneself and ignore others

Definition

Literally 'to perfect only oneself' — originally a Confucian ideal of moral self-cultivation, now usually used critically for someone who only minds their own virtue and ignores the world or other people.

idiom
to look after one's own moral cultivation (original classical sense)(derogatory) to be self-absorbed, to care only about oneself and ignore others

Examples

  • ，独善其身，。
    Zài zhè ge shè huì lǐ, wǒ men bù néng zhī dú shàn qí shēn, yě yào guān xīn tā rén.
    In this society, we can't just look after ourselves — we also need to care about others.
  • 独善其身。
    Tā nà zhǒng dú shàn qí shēn de tài dù ràng tóng shì men hěn bù mǎn.
    His self-absorbed attitude made his colleagues very unhappy.
  • ，独善其身。
    Rú jiā sī xiǎng qiáng diào xiū shēn qí jiā zhì guó píng tiān xià, ér bú shì dú shàn qí shēn.
    Confucian thought emphasizes cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world — not just looking after oneself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

独善cultivate alone
独dúalone善shàncultivate
偏正Modifier + head
其身one's self
其qíhis身shēnself
偏正Modifier + head

独善 conveys cultivating virtue alone, and 其身 points to one's own self.

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 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Open 独 →

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

An earlier form of 善 joined 羊, a sheep linked with goodness or beauty, and 誩, described as a wrangle; the reference says this meaning link is hard to understand.

Open 善 →

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

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

Open 其 →

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

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →

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