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明哲保身

míng zhé bǎo shēn

4-character word

What 明哲保身 means

1. a wise man looks after his own hide (idiom)
2. to put one's own safety before matters of principle

The characters in 明哲保身

• 明míngbright; opposite: dark 暗; (of meaning) clear
• 哲zhéwise; a sage
• 保bǎoto defend; to protect; to keep; to guarantee; to ensure…
• 身shēnbody; life; oneself

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read míng zhé bǎo shēn correctly.
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