si1 sam1私心
Jyutpingsi1 sam1
Yalesī sām
Definition
Selfishness, or a selfish motive.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to a hidden agenda or a personal bias that influences one's actions under the guise of fairness. It is frequently used in professional or social contexts to critique someone for putting their own interests above the collective good or objective standards.
Examples
He is so selfish in his work, who would be willing to help him?
I am helping you purely out of kindness, I have absolutely no selfish motives.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 貪心, which specifically refers to greed or the desire for more material wealth. 私心 is more about the underlying motivation or partiality rather than the act of wanting more things.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
