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见义勇为

jiàn yì yǒng wéi

to act bravely for a just cause

Character by character

见jiàn
see
义yì
what is right
勇yǒng
bravely
为wéi
act

Example

他见义勇为,救起了落水的孩子。
He bravely stepped in and rescued a drowning child.

Tone: positive (praise).

Usage and origin

From the Analects (为政): 'to see what is right and not do it is cowardice.'

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