夫子自道 fū zǐ zì dào Master praises himself

Explanation

指本意是说别人好处,而事实上却正道着自己。也用在不好的一面,意思是指摘别人,却正指摘了自己。

It originally means to praise others' virtues, but in fact it describes oneself. It can also be used in a negative sense, to criticize others, while one should be criticizing oneself.

Origin Story

春秋时期,孔子与弟子们在论道。子贡问孔子:'夫子您常说君子有仁智勇三德,您自己具备哪些呢?'孔子说:'我都不具备。'子贡说:'夫子您这是在赞扬自己啊!'孔子的回答看似谦逊,实则点明了君子之道不易实现,只有不断学习,才能接近仁智勇的境界。后人用“夫子自道”来比喻说话看似说别人,其实说的是自己。在生活中,我们常会遇到这种情况,看似批评别人,却无意中暴露了自己的缺点,或者本想炫耀自己的优点,却显得虚伪做作。就像一个士兵,总是批评别人作战不勇敢,可自己却临阵脱逃。

Chunqiu shiqi, Kongzi yu dizimen zai lundao. Zigong wen Kongzi: 'Fuzi nin chang shuo junzi you ren zhi yong san de, nin ziji jùbei na xie ne?' Kongzi shuo: 'Wo dou bu jùbei.' Zigong shuo: 'Fuzi nin zhe shi zai zanyangg ziji a!' Kongzi de huida kan si qianxun, shize dianming le junzi zhi dao buyi shixian, zhi you buduan xuexi, cai neng jiejing ren zhi yong de jingjie. Houren yong "Fuzi zidiao" lai biyu shuohua kan si shuo bieren, qishi shuo de shi ziji. Zai shenghuo zhong, women chang hui yudao zhe zhong qingkuang, kan si piping bieren, que wu yi zhong baolu le ziji de quedian, huozhe ben xiang xuanyao ziji de youdian, que xiande xuwei zuozuo. Xiang xiang yi ge shibing, zong shi piping bieren zuozhan bu yonggan, ke ziji que linzhen tuotao.

During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius and his disciples were discussing the principles of life. Zigong asked Confucius, 'Master, you often talk about the three virtues of a gentleman: benevolence, wisdom, and courage. Which of these do you possess yourself?' Confucius replied, 'None of them.' Zigong said, 'Master, you are praising yourself!' Confucius' answer seemed humble, but it actually highlighted that the path of a gentleman is difficult to achieve, and only through constant learning can one approach the realm of benevolence, wisdom, and courage. Later, “夫子自道” came to be used to describe someone who seems to be talking about others but is actually talking about themselves. In life, we often encounter this situation, where we seem to criticize others, but inadvertently reveal our own shortcomings, or we try to show off our own strengths, but come across as hypocritical and artificial. Like a soldier who always criticizes others for their lack of courage in battle, but flees himself in the face of danger.

Usage

通常作谓语、宾语;比喻弄巧成拙,自讨苦吃。

tongchang zuo weiyǔ, bǐnyǔ; bǐyù nòng qiǎo chéng zhuō, zì tǎo kǔ chī

It is usually used as predicate or object; metaphorically speaking, it refers to something that goes wrong although it's well-intentioned.

Examples

  • 他批评别人不守时,却自己经常迟到,真是夫子自道。

    ta piping bieren bushou shi, que ziji chingchang chidao, zhen shi fuzi zidiao

    He criticized others for being unpunctual, but he himself was often late—a perfect example of "夫子自道".

  • 他本想为公司争取利益,结果却损害了公司的形象,真是夫子自道

    ta ben xiang wei gongsi zhengqu liyi, jieguo que sunhai le gongsi de xingxiang, zhen shi fuzi zidiao

    He intended to benefit the company, but ultimately damaged its image—a classic case of "夫子自道".