公事公办 gōng shì gōng bàn Impartial handling of official matters

Explanation

指处理事情只按照规章制度办事，不讲私情，不徇私情。

means to handle matters only according to rules and regulations, without considering personal relationships.

Origin Story

县令张大人以清正廉洁著称，一日，邻县来了一位官员，说是张大人的远房表弟，请求张大人帮忙徇私枉法，为其解决一件棘手案件。张大人听后，不为所动，严肃地说道："公事公办，这是我的原则。法律面前人人平等，无论是谁，都必须遵守法律，我不能因为你是我的表弟就徇私枉法。"表弟见张大人如此坚持原则，无奈之下只好悻悻离去。后来，张大人的清正廉洁得到了百姓的称赞，也为当地树立了良好的风气。

xiàn lìng zhāng dà rén yǐ qīng zhèng lián jié zhù chēng, yī rì, lín xiàn lái le yī wèi guān yuán, shì shuō zhāng dà rén de yuǎn fāng biǎo dì, qǐng qiú zhāng dà rén bāng máng xùn sī wǎng fǎ, wèi qí jiě jué yī jiàn jí shǒu àn jiàn. zhāng dà rén tīng hòu, bù wéi suǒ dòng, yán sù de shuō dào: "gōng shì gōng bàn, zhè shì wǒ de yuánzé. fǎ lǜ miàn qián rén rén píng děng, wú lùn shì shuí, dōu bì xū zūnxún fǎ lǜ, wǒ bù néng yīn wèi nǐ shì wǒ de biǎo dì jiù xùn sī wǎng fǎ." biǎo dì jiàn zhāng dà rén rú cǐ jiān chí yuánzé, wú nài zhī xià zhǐ hǎo xìng xìng lí qù. hòu lái, zhāng dà rén de qīng zhèng lián jié dé dào le bǎi xìng de chēng zàn, yě wèi dàng dì shù lì le liáng hǎo de fēng qì.

Magistrate Zhang was known for his integrity and impartiality. One day, an official from a neighboring county came, claiming to be a distant cousin of Magistrate Zhang, and asked for his help to bend the law and solve a difficult case. Magistrate Zhang, unmoved, sternly said, "I handle official matters impartially; this is my principle. All are equal before the law, no matter who it is, and they must abide by the law. I cannot bend the law just because you're my cousin." Seeing Magistrate Zhang's adherence to principle, the cousin left disgruntled. Later, Magistrate Zhang's integrity was praised by the people and set a good example for the community.

Usage

作谓语、宾语；指处理事情只按规章制度办事，不讲私情。

zuò wèiyǔ, bīnyǔ; zhǐ chǔlǐ shìqíng zhǐ àn guīzhāng zhìdù bànshì, bù jiǎng sīqíng.

used as a predicate or object; means to handle things only according to rules and regulations, without considering personal relationships.

Examples

  • 这件事要公事公办，不能徇私枉法。

    zhè jiàn shì yào gōng shì gōng bàn, bù néng xùn sī wǎng fǎ. gōng shì gōng bàn, zhè shì yuánzé wèntí

    This matter should be handled impartially and not be partial.

  • 公事公办，这是原则问题。

    Impartiality is the principle here.

Related Idioms

  • 秉公执法

  • 铁面无私

Opposite Idioms

  • 假公济私

  • 徇私舞弊