滅めっ私し奉ほう公こう

め

っ

し

ほ

う

こ

う

Meanings

1

noun

selfless devotion to public duty

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo expressing the ideal of sacrificing one's personal interests for the sake of the public good or one's organization. Often used in contexts of loyalty, public service, or corporate dedication.

彼かれの滅めっ私し奉ほう公こうの精せい神しんは

、

多おお

く

の

社しゃ

員いん

の

模も

範はん

と

なっ

た

。

His spirit of selfless devotion to the company became a model for many employees.

公こう務む員いんには滅めっ私し奉ほう公こうの姿し勢せいが求もとめられる。

Public servants are expected to have an attitude of selfless dedication to the public.

Kanji

滅destroy, ruin, overthrow
私private, I, me
奉observance, offer, present
公public, prince, official

Related words

滅めっ私し
滅私 means 'selflessness' or 'self-sacrifice' on its own, but is rarely used independently; 滅私奉公 is the full idiomatic expression.
奉ほう公こう
奉公 historically refers to service or apprenticeship, often in a domestic or feudal context; in 滅私奉公 it takes the broader meaning of public service.

Built from

滅めっ私し+奉ほう公こう

Written forms

滅私奉公
- めっしほうこう
  Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
- めっしぼうこう
  irregular kana usage
めっしぼうこう
irregular kana usage

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 滅 (destroy, extinguish), 私 (self, private), 奉 (offer, serve), and 公 (public). The phrase encapsulates the Confucian-influenced ideal of subordinating personal desires to the needs of the state or community.