公而忘私

Pronunciation: gōng ér wàng sī Literal meaning: For the public good, forget the private

Origin & Usage

For the public good (公) and thereby forgetting (忘) the private (私). The Book of Han attaches the sentiment to Jia Yi, the young scholar-official whose memorials to Emperor Wen argued for reforms that cost him his position at court. The construction matters: not sacrificing self-interest, which implies a struggle, but forgetting it, which claims the interest never came up. That is a very high bar and the phrase knows it. It belongs to citations and memorials, and it is said about people more often than by them.

Examples

English: "She always puts the team's needs above her own, earning the respect of her colleagues."

Chinese: 她总是把团队的需求放在自己之上，赢得了同事们的尊重。