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见利忘义 (jiàn lì-wàng yì) — (idiom) to forsake moral principles for the sake of profit

Definition

A chengyu describing someone who drops moral principles the moment profit appears. Like 损人利己 it condemns selfish gain, but focuses on betraying one's own ethics rather than harming others.

idiom
to forsake moral principles for the sake of profit

Examples

  • 见利忘义，。
    Tā zhè ge rén jiàn lì-wàng yì, qiān wàn bié hé tā zuò shēng yi.
    He's someone who abandons principles for profit — don't ever do business with him.
  • 见利忘义，。
    Gōng sī rú guǒ jiàn lì-wàng yì, chí zǎo huì shī qù kè hù de xìn rèn.
    If a company prioritizes profit over ethics, it will sooner or later lose customer trust.
  • ，。
    Zài jù dà de lì yì miàn qián, néng jiān chí yuán zé bú jiàn lì-wàng yì de rén hěn shǎo.
    Few people can stick to their principles and not forget morality when faced with huge profits.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

见利see profit
见jiànsee利lìprofit
动宾Verb + object
忘义forget righteousness
忘wàngforget义yìrighteousness
动宾Verb + object

见利忘义 joins 见利 (seeing profit) with 忘义 (forgetting righteousness).

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
亡
亡wáng忘wàng
Same sound today

忘 combines 亡, which gives the sound, with 心 (“heart”), showing the sense is about the heart or mind.

Open 忘 →

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 義; 义 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ義yì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 義 has 我 giving the sound and 羊 meaning good or auspicious; the simplified 义 is a later abbreviation.

Open 义 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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