rid oneself of selfishness in the interests of the public; public business comes before private affairs; put the interests of one's country above all else; so devoted to public service as to forget one's own interests; work selflessly for the public interests
❍ 但自古道： ‘～，国而忘家’。(《儒林外史》77) But as the proverb says，“Public business comes before private affairs. The state comes before the fandly.”/这是～，国而忘家的典型之一。(陶承《我的一家》序一) The characters portrayed in the book are typical of the many who put the interests of their country above all else…
公而忘私gong er wang si
be so devoted to public service as to forget one’s own interest
公而忘私ɡōnɡ ér wànɡ sī
为了公事而忘了自己的私事。比喻大公无私。forget selfishness in the interest of the public, selfless, public business comes before private affairs.