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.
Era:
Modern
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Story:
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.