独善其身 — “To care only for oneself and ignore the affairs of others or society”

独善其身 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to care only for oneself and ignore the affairs of others or society”. To mind one's own business and not get involved in public matters. Literally, “Perfect one's own virtue (alone)”.

Frequency

独善其身 Pronunciation and Pinyin

独善其身 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
独	dú	9	single, only, alone
善	shàn	12	good kind skillful
其	qí	8	its, his, her, their
身	shēn	7	body, person, life, self

Example Sentence with 独善其身

在这个瞬息万变的时代，有些人选择独善其身，专注于自己的小世界，而有些人则更愿意投身于公共事务。

In this rapidly changing era, some people choose to only care for themselves and focus on their own small world, while others are more willing to engage in public affairs.

Origin and Story of 独善其身

During the Warring States period, Mencius advised Song Goujian to travel to other states to advocate for the philosophy of benevolence.

Song Goujian asked Mencius for advice on how to do this.

Mencius replied: "Uphold the Confucian Way and delight in benevolence and righteousness. As a gentleman, when in straitened circumstances, do not lose your benevolence and righteousness; when successful, do not lose your rationality. In this way, when in poverty, you can attend to your own virtue and find joy in it; when successful, you can attend to the welfare of all under heaven."