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自私自利

Mandarin · pinyin zì sī zì lì

everything for self and selfish profit (idiom); with no regard for others
selfish
mercenary

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Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
私: sī · private, personal; secret
利: lì · gains, advantage, profit, merit

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–1–4–4 · zi4 si1 zi4 li4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi6 si1 zi6 lei6

Cantonese word readings for 自私自利. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) selfish; self-centered

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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