事必躬亲 (shì bì gōng qīn) — to attend to everything personally; to take care of every matter oneself

Definition

An idiom for doing everything personally, often with a hint of criticism — implying over-involvement rather than delegating. Usually describes a leader or manager who won't let go of small tasks.

idiom
to attend to everything personallyto take care of every matter oneself

Examples

  • 事必躬亲，。
    Zhè wèi jīng lǐ shì bì gōng qīn, měi gè xiàng mù dōu qīn zì bǎ guān.
    This manager personally handles everything, overseeing every project himself.
  • 事必躬亲，。
    Zuò lǐng dǎo bú bì shì bì gōng qīn, xué huì fàng quán gèng zhòng yào.
    As a leader, you don't have to do everything yourself; learning to delegate is more important.
  • 事必躬亲，。
    Tā shì bì gōng qīn, lián dǎ yìn wén jiàn zhè yàng de xiǎo shì dōu yào zì jǐ lái.
    He handles everything personally, down to small tasks like printing documents.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →

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

The shape of 必 comes from the handle on the right side of a weapon, with two extra strokes added to its sides.

Open 必 →

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
身身shēnbody
Sound part声符shēngfú
弓
弓gōng躬gōng
Same sound today

躬 combines 身 (body) with 弓, which gives the sound. The body part fits meanings related to the body.

Open 躬 →

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 親; 亲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn親qīn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 親 uses 見 (see) for sense and 辛 (a chisel) for sound; the simplified 亲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 亲 →

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