守正不阿

Pronunciation: shǒu zhèng bù ē Literal meaning: Keep right no flattery

Origin & Usage

To keep to (守) what is upright (正) and not (不) bend (阿). 阿 is the load-bearing character: it means to lean toward, to curry favour, to give someone the benefit they have not earned, and the whole phrase turns on refusing that particular motion rather than on virtue in the abstract. It belongs to the assessment of officials and judges, where the temptation named is specific — the friend, the patron, the person who will remember — and Chinese still uses it in exactly that setting.

Examples

English: "The journalist reported the truth despite political pressure"

Chinese: 记者不顾政治压力报道了真相