quân-tử phòng thân
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The gentleman guards his person — prudence as a nobleman's first weapon.
Literally: the gentleman protects the self
Examples
Quân tử phòng thân, tiểu nhân phòng bị gậy.The gentleman guards himself; the knave guards his cudgel.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “quân-tử phòng thân” mean?
The gentleman guards his person — prudence as a nobleman's first weapon. Literally: the gentleman protects the self
Is “quân-tử phòng thân” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.