明哲保身

Etymology
From the , poem 260 (《詩經·大雅·烝民》):



Idiom

 * 1) to protect or defend oneself with wisdom and sound judgement
 * 2) to protect oneself above all other considerations; to place one's own interests at the foremost

Usage notes
As chengyu, the connotation has gradually shifted away from the literal meaning. The second sense carries the connotation that protecting one's self-interest is the "wisdom" referred to by, and its use implies indifference, lack of altruism, unwillingness to take risk, etc., all of which considered practices of the wisdom.