道高益安，勢高益危 dào gāo yì ān ， shì gāo yì wēi

High virtue is safe; high power is dangerous

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. More moral strength increases one's safety, more power and influence increases one's danger (idiom, from Records of the Historian 史记shǐ jì). cf Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it (William Pitt the Elder, 1770).

Characters

Character Meaning
道 dào HSK 2
to say; to speak; to talk
高 gāo HSK 1
high; tall; above average
益 yì HSK 5
benefit; beneficial; to increase
安 ān HSK 3
safe; secure; safety
勢 shì
trend; momentum; situation
高 gāo HSK 1
high; tall; above average
益 yì HSK 5
benefit; beneficial; to increase
危 wēi HSK 4
danger; to endanger; Taiwan pr. wéi