lợi kỷ

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Self-interested / Self-serving: Describes a person, action, or attitude that is primarily concerned with gaining personal advantage or benefit, often with disregard for others.
   • Egoistic: Pertaining to the ethical theory that self-interest is the foundation of morality, but in common usage, it simply means prioritizing one's own welfare.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Hành động đó thật lợi kỷ. (That action is truly self-serving.)
  • Anh ta là một người lợi kỷ, chỉ nghĩ đến bản thân. (He is a self-interested person, only thinking of himself.)
  • Chủ nghĩa lợi kỷ có thể phá hủy các mối quan hệ. (Egoism can destroy relationships.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chủ nghĩa lợi kỷ": Ethical egoism (as a philosophical doctrine).
  • Chủ nghĩa lợi kỷ cho rằng hành động vì lợi ích cá nhân là đúng đắn về mặt đạo đức. (Ethical egoism posits that acting in one's self-interest is morally right.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ích kỷ (adj): Selfish. Often used interchangeably with "lợi kỷ," though "ích kỷ" is more common in everyday speech.

  • Đừng có ích kỷ như vậy. (Don't be so selfish.)

• Vị kỷ (adj): Egoistic, self-centered. A more formal synonym.

  • Lối sống vị kỷ (A self-centered lifestyle.)

Synonyms

• Selfish: Lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure.
• Egoistic: Based on the belief that self-interest is the valid end of all actions.
• Self-serving: Having concern for one's own welfare and interests before those of others.

Related Idioms

• "Lợi kỷ hại nhân": To benefit oneself at the expense of others; to act for self-gain while harming others.
  • Kế hoạch của hắn là lợi kỷ hại nhân. (His plan is to benefit himself at the expense of others.)