xùn徇followsī私privatewǔ舞dancebì弊corruption
To practice graft; to bend the law for personal gain.
Literal meaning
follow (徇) — private (私) — dance (舞) — corruption (弊)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing corruption and abuse of power.
Examples
Wǒ我men们yào要jiān坚jué决fǎn反duì对xùn徇sī私wǔ舞bì弊de的xíng行wéi为。
We must resolutely oppose acts of graft.
Tā他yīn因wèi为xùn徇sī私wǔ舞bì弊ér而bèi被kāi开chú除le了。
He was fired for practicing graft.
Usage & nuances
Often used in formal contexts when discussing legal or ethical violations.
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