noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'
self-restraint and propriety
A yojijukugo from Confucian teaching, meaning to overcome selfish desires and return to ritual propriety. Used in formal or literary contexts to describe strict moral self-discipline and adherence to etiquette.
彼は克己復礼を座右の銘としている。
He takes 'self-restraint and propriety' as his personal motto.
克己復礼の精神で日々を過ごす。
I live each day in the spirit of self-restraint and propriety.