洁身自好 — “To keep oneself pure and untainted”
洁身自好 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to keep oneself pure and untainted”. Avoiding association with corrupt practices or undesirable influences. It can also imply a detachment from public affairs, focusing solely on one's own well-being and avoiding trouble. Literally, “cleanse oneself and cherish oneself; maintain one's purity and integrity”.
洁身自好 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 洁jié
- 身shēn
- 自zì
- 好hào
洁身自好 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 洁身自好
Origin and Story of 洁身自好
During the Warring States period, Qu Yuan, a high official in the State of Chu, was slandered and exiled because he refused to collude with corrupt officials at court. He often wandered, singing Chu poems, his heart heavy with concern for state affairs.
One day, Qu Yuan came to the Xiang River. A fisherman saw him and asked in surprise, "Aren't you Master Qu? Why have you come to such a state?"
Qu Yuan sighed, "The whole world is as murky as this overflowing river, yet I am as clear as a mountain spring."
The fisherman deliberately said, "If the world is murky, why don't you stir up the mud and go with the flow? Why bother to keep yourself pure and suffer this fate?"
Qu Yuan replied, "I've heard that after washing one's hair and before wearing a cap, one should flick off the dust; after bathing and before putting on clothes, one should shake them out. How could I allow my clean body to be defiled by filth?"
Upon hearing this, the fisherman greatly admired Qu Yuan's integrity and noble character. He then sang a song and rowed his boat away.
Idioms Related to 洁身自好
Synonyms of 洁身自好
Antonyms of 洁身自好
More idioms starting with 洁
- jié洁jǐ己cóng从gōng公maintain integrity and serve public
- jié洁jǐ己fèng奉gōng公Be incorruptible and devoted to public service
- jié洁jǐ己ài爱ren人maintain integrity and care for others
- jié洁zhuó浊yáng扬qīng清cleanse the bad and promote the good
- jié洁qīng清bù不wū洿Remain pure and untainted
- jié洁qīng清zì自shǐ矢Pledge to maintain integrity
- jié洁yán言wū污xíng行clean words, dirty deeds
- jié洁shēn身lèi累xíng行maintain integrity and discipline conduct
- jié洁shēn身zì自shǒu守maintain moral integrity and purity
- jié洁shēn身zì自ài爱maintain integrity and purity
Questions about 洁身自好
- What does 洁身自好 mean?
- 洁身自好 (jié shēn zì hào) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to keep oneself pure and untainted”.
- How do you pronounce 洁身自好?
- 洁身自好 is pronounced jié shēn zì hào in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 洁身自好 literally mean?
- Literally, 洁身自好 means “cleanse oneself and cherish oneself; maintain one's purity and integrity”. It is used to mean “to keep oneself pure and untainted”.
- Where does 洁身自好 come from?
- 洁身自好 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to modern Chinese. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 洁身自好?
- 保持自己纯洁，不同流合污。也指怕招惹是非，只顾自己好，不关心公众事情。