明哲保身 (míng zhé bǎo shēn) — to play it safe; to avoid risk to protect oneself; (often pejorative) to be overly cautious or self-protective
Definition
A four-character idiom (chengyu) for staying out of trouble by avoiding risk. Usually carries a negative tone — it means playing it safe to protect yourself, not out of principle.
idiom
to play it safeto avoid risk to protect oneself(often pejorative) to be overly cautious or self-protective
Examples
- ，明哲保身。Zài huì yì shàng tā cóng bù biǎo tài, zǒng shì míng zhé bǎo shēn.He never takes a stand at meetings, always playing it safe.
- 明哲保身。Lǐng dǎo pī píng le tā zhè zhǒng míng zhé bǎo shēn de tài dù.The leader criticized his attitude of self-protection.
- ，明哲保身，。Zài gōng sī lǐ, míng zhé bǎo shēn suī rán ān quán, dàn yě huì cuò shī jī huì.In a company, playing it safe may be safe, but it also makes you miss opportunities.
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