见利忘义

Origin and story

In the Book of Han's concluding appraisal of several early-Han figures, Ban Gu considers Li Ji's reputation for betraying a friend. He defines genuine betrayal as seeing an advantage and forgetting what is right. But his argument is more subtle than simply condemning Li Ji: he says Li Ji acted under coercion and in circumstances involving the ruler and his own father, so the usual accusation is not fair.

The modern idiom condenses the passage's longer wording, 見利而忘義. It retains the negative principle that private gain must not displace moral obligations. The historical discussion illustrates that judging whether someone actually fits that charge requires attention to circumstances.