各自为政 — “Each acts independently”
各自为政 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act independently without coordination or regard for the overall situation, often leading to disunity or inefficiency”. Literally, “Each acts independently”.
各自为政 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 各gè
- 自zì
- 为wéi
- 政zhèng
各自为政 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 各自为政
Origin and Story of 各自为政
In 607 BC, the State of Zheng launched an attack on the State of Song. Song dispatched Hua Yuan as its commander to lead the Song army to battle.
Before the two armies clashed, Hua Yuan slaughtered sheep to boost morale and reward his soldiers. In the haste, he forgot to give a share to his charioteer, Yang Zhen, who then harbored a grudge.
During the battle, Yang Zhen said to Hua Yuan, "You were in charge of distributing the mutton, but today, I'm in charge of driving the chariot!" With that, he deliberately drove the chariot directly into the Zheng army's formation.
As a result, Hua Yuan, the esteemed commander of the Song army, was easily captured alive by the Zheng forces. Having lost their commander, the Song army suffered a crushing defeat.
Idioms Related to 各自为政
Antonyms of 各自为政
More idioms starting with 各
- gè各bù不xiāng相xià下neither side willing to concede
- gè各bù不xiāng相ràng让each unwilling to yield
- gè各bù不xiāng相móu谋each going their own way
- gè各gè个jī击pò破defeat opponents one by one
- gè各wèi为qí其zhǔ主Each serves their own master
- gè各rén人zì自sǎo扫mén门qián前xuě雪Mind your own business
- gè各rén人zì自sǎo扫mén门qián前xuě雪，，xiū休guǎn管tā他rén人wǎ瓦shàng上shuāng霜Mind your own business
- gè各rén人zì自sǎo扫mén门qián前xuě雪，，mò莫guǎn管tā他rén人wǎ瓦shàng上shuāng霜Mind your own business
- gè各rén人zì自sǎo扫mén门qián前xuě雪，，mò莫guǎn管tā他jiā家wǎ瓦shàng上shuāng霜Mind your own business
- gè各cóng从qí其zhì志Each follows their own will
- gè各cóng从qí其lèi类Each according to its kind
- gè各yǐ以suǒ所cháng长，，xiāng相qīng轻suǒ所duǎn短pride in own strengths, belittle others' weaknesses
Questions about 各自为政
- What does 各自为政 mean?
- 各自为政 (gè zì wéi zhèng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act independently without coordination or regard for the overall situation, often leading to disunity or inefficiency”.
- How do you pronounce 各自为政?
- 各自为政 is pronounced gè zì wéi zhèng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 各自为政 literally mean?
- Literally, 各自为政 means “Each acts independently”. It is used to mean “to act independently without coordination or regard for the overall situation, often leading to disunity or inefficiency”.
- Where does 各自为政 come from?
- 各自为政 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 各自为政?
- 为政：管理政事，泛指行事。各自按自己的主张办事，不互相配合。比喻不考虑全局，各搞一套。