HSK · Level 111
45 words
Chinese word
损人利己
Pronunciation
Pinyinsǔn rén lì jǐ
Meaning
- idiomprofit at others' expense
Example
为了利润，他愿意损人利己。wèi le lì rùn tā yuàn yì sǔn rén lì jǐ
For profit, he is willing to profit at others' expense.
More examples
长远来看，损人利己会破坏团队信任。cháng yuǎn lái kàn sǔn rén lì jǐ huì pò huài tuán duì xìn rèn
In the long run, profiting at others' expense can damage team trust.
Core concept
One person's advantage rises as another person's interests are damaged.
Common phrases
为了利益而损人利己wèi le lì yì ér sǔn rén lì jǐ
seek personal gain at others' expense
揭露损人利己的行为jiē lù sǔn rén lì jǐ de xíng wéi
expose behavior that seeks personal gain at others' expense
Similar words
唯利是图wéi lì shì tú: Pursuing profit above all else while ignoring other concerns.
见利忘义jiàn lì wàng yì: Putting profit before loyalty and morality, even when doing wrong.
利欲熏心lì yù xūn xīn: Letting the desire for profit cloud sound judgment and right conduct.
自私自利zì sī zì lì: Putting personal gain first without caring about other people's interests.
Definition in Chinese
以损害他人的利益来换取自己好处的行为或做法，含贬义。yǐ sǔn hài tā rén de lì yì lái huàn qǔ zì jǐ hǎo chù de xíng wéi huò zuò fǎ hán biǎn yì
Word origin
损 (sǔn, "harm") + 人 (rén, "other people") is placed against 利 (lì, "benefit") + 己 (jǐ, "oneself"), so the four characters show whose loss produces whose gain.
Usage tips
- In conversation, the idiom judges conduct rather than neutrally describing a business result, so it signals strong disapproval.
Opposites
- 损己利人sún jǐ lì rénbenefit others at one's own expenseidiom
- 舍己为人shé jǐ wèi rénsacrifice oneself for othersidiom
Related words
- 损人利己主义sǔn rén lì jǐ zhǔ yìself-serving ideologynoun