爱惜羽毛 cherish one's reputation
Explanation
比喻珍惜自己的名誉，谨慎小心。
It is a metaphor for cherishing one's reputation and being cautious.
Origin Story
从前，有个秀才名叫李时珍，他从小就勤奋好学，立志要考取功名。但他为人耿直，不善逢迎，得罪了不少权贵。一次，他参加乡试，卷子写得非常出色，但主考官却因为他的耿直和得罪过自己而故意压低了他的分数。李时珍知道后，并没有愤愤不平，反而更加努力学习，以期在下次考试中取得好成绩。后来，他果然金榜题名，成为了一代名医。他爱惜自己的羽毛，从不为名利所动，始终保持着高尚的品德，被人们敬仰至今。
Once upon a time, there was a scholar named Li Shizhen, who was diligent and studious since childhood and aspired to achieve fame. However, he was upright and not good at flattery, offending many powerful people. Once, he participated in the prefectural examinations, and his papers were exceptionally well-written. However, the chief examiner deliberately lowered his score because of his straightforwardness and the fact that he had offended him. After learning about it, Li Shizhen didn't feel resentful but instead studied even harder, hoping to achieve good results in the next examination. Later, he indeed passed the examination and became a famous doctor. He cherished his reputation, never swayed by fame or fortune, and always maintained his noble character, earning the admiration of people to this day.
Usage
常用作谓语、定语；比喻人小心谨慎，维护自己名誉。
Often used as predicate or attributive; a metaphor for someone who is careful and cautious and protects their reputation.
Examples
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他一向爱惜羽毛，从不做出格的事情。
tā yīxiàng àixī yǔmáo, cóng bù zuò chūgé de shìqíng.
He always cherishes his reputation and never does anything out of line.
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为了爱惜羽毛，他不得不辞去这个职位。
wèile àixī yǔmáo, tā bùdé bù cíqù zhège zhíwèi
In order to protect his reputation, he had to resign from his position.