Meaning of 独善其身
独善其身 means to maintain one's personal integrity and moral cultivation when unable to serve in office; to mind one's own business; to be concerned only with one's own well-being; to have no sense of collective spirit. Pronounced dú shàn qí shēn.
- to maintain one's personal integrity and moral cultivation when unable to serve in office
- to mind one's own business; to be concerned only with one's own well-being; to have no sense of collective spirit
Definitions & Examples
Gǔ古
rén人
yǒu有
yán言
，
qióng穷
zé则
dú独
shàn善
qí其
shēn身
，
dá达
zé则
jiān兼
jì济
tiān天
xià下
。
As the ancients said, one should cultivate one's own virtue when in poverty and benefit the whole world when successful.
Zài在
nà那
ge个
hēi黑
àn暗
de的
shí时
dài代
，
tā他
zhǐ只
néng能
xuǎn选
zé择
tuì退
yǐn隐
shān山
lín林
，
dú独
shàn善
qí其
shēn身
。
In that dark age, he could only choose to retreat to the mountains and focus on his own moral cultivation.