guard against one 's desires as if guarding a city against an enemy(fáng yì rú chéng)

guard against one 's desires as if guarding a city against an enemy

As a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is f á n ɡ y ì R ú ch é n ɡ, which means to curb selfish thoughts, just like guarding a city against enemies. From Fayuan Zhulin.

Analysis of Idioms

Tao Shi's Fayuan Zhulin in the Tang Dynasty said, "if you hide six tortoises, you will be as defensive as a city. If you fight with the devil, you will have no danger if you win."

Idiom usage

To be formal; to be a complement; to strictly curb selfish thoughts. Example: Song Zhoumi's "guixinza identification collection II. Keep your mouth shut as a bottle": Fu Zhenggong's "keep your mouth shut as a bottle, defend your mind and defend the city." Tao Shi of Tang Dynasty quoted Weimo Scripture from Zhujing Yaoji: "keep your mouth tight, guard your mind and guard the city." Zeng Guang Xian Wen of Ming Dynasty: "keep your mouth shut, keep your heart at bay."

Chinese PinYin : fáng yì rú chéng