损人利己

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: sǔn rén lì jǐ
• English Translation: To profit at others' expense (harming others to benefit oneself)
• Idiom Composition: 「损」（To harm, damage, or cause loss to someone）＋「人」（Others; people other than oneself）＋「利」（To benefit; to gain profit or advantage）＋「己」（Oneself; self）
• Meaning: To intentionally cause harm or loss to others in order to gain a personal advantage. It is a strong derogatory term used to criticize behavior that is not just selfish, but actively predatory or exploitative.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「损人利己」 contains the following nuances:

• Active Malice: This idiom implies more than just being stingy or uncooperative; it describes a proactive choice to infringe upon others' rights or well-being to secure one's own gain.
• Zero-Sum Mentality: It reflects a mindset where one's success is built directly on another's failure, representing the exact opposite of a 'win-win' scenario.
• Moral Condemnation: In social contexts, this is a heavy pejorative used to label someone as untrustworthy, unethical, or 'small-minded' (小人).

3. Usage

「损人利己」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Business and Workplace Misconduct: Used to criticize unethical business practices, such as taking credit for a colleague's work or deceiving customers for profit.
  • Example:「为了拿到这笔奖金，他不惜向老板打小报告陷害同事，真是损人利己。」
    （To get the bonus, he didn't hesitate to backstab his colleagues by reporting them to the boss, truly profiting at the expense of others.）
• Public Manners and Social Ethics: Used for actions that harm the public good or the environment to save personal costs or gain convenience.
  • Example:「工厂偷偷排放污水，这种损人利己的行为必须受到法律制裁。」
    （The factory secretly discharged sewage; such harmful self-seeking behavior must be punished by law.）
• Character Criticism: Used to describe a person whose entire philosophy or lifestyle is based on the idea that 'as long as I benefit, it doesn't matter who gets hurt.'
  • Example:「我不愿与那种损人利己的小人深交。」
    （I have no desire to be close friends with such a despicable person who steps on others for personal gain.）

Additional Examples:

1. 这种损人利己的生意是做不长久的。
   （This kind of business that preys on others will not last long.）
2. 他为了升职，竟然编造谎言攻击对手，简直是损人利己。
   （To get promoted, he actually fabricated lies to attack his rivals; it was pure self-interest at the cost of others.）
3. 不要做损人利己的事，否则最终会失去朋友和信誉。
   （Don't do things that harm others for your own benefit, or you will eventually lose your friends and your reputation.）
4. 有些商家为了降低成本使用劣质材料，这完全是损人利己。
   （Some merchants use inferior materials to cut costs, which is completely profiting by victimizing consumers.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• Ethical Background: In traditional Chinese philosophy, particularly Confucianism (孔子), values like 仁 (rén - benevolence) and 义 (yì - righteousness) are paramount. Acting in a way that is 损人利己 (sǔn rén lì jǐ) is considered the hallmark of a 小人 (xiǎo rén), or a person of low moral character.
• Contrast with Self-Sacrifice: This idiom is often contrasted with virtues like 舍己为人 (shě jǐ wèi rén - sacrificing oneself for others) or 大公无私 (dà gōng wú sī - selfless and impartial), which are highly praised in Chinese culture.
• Modern Context: In contemporary society, while competition is fierce, the term is used to criticize short-sightedness. It suggests that gaining at another's expense is ultimately unsustainable and leads to social isolation and loss of 'face' or reputation.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 自私自利 (zì sī zì lì): Selfish and seeking only personal gain; however, it does not always imply actively harming others as 损人利己 does.link
  • 唯利是图 (wéi lì shì tú): Driven only by profit; to be guided solely by the pursuit of gain regardless of the means.
  • 不择手段 (bù zé shǒu duàn): To achieve a goal by any means necessary, regardless of morality or legality.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 舍己为人 (shě jǐ wèi rén): To sacrifice one's own interests for the sake of others; the ultimate form of altruism.
  • 大公无私 (dà gōng wú sī): Completely selfless and impartial; acting for the public good without any personal bias.link
  • 见义勇为 (jiàn yì yǒng wéi): To do what is right when seeing an injustice.link

6. Summary

损人利己 (sǔn rén lì jǐ) describes a malicious form of selfishness where one's gain is directly derived from another person's loss. Unlike simple self-interest, this idiom emphasizes the active harm caused to others. It is frequently used in business, social ethics, and personal character assessments to condemn unethical or parasitic behavior that betrays trust.