in chinese there is a term that, very roughly, translates to “lowly beast with a low opinion on others”. i’m looking for a word or phrase in english with the same meaning/import as:
[ul]
[li]a thief is not convinced that his friends will not steal his belongings because he believes that others share his loose morals with regards to property. [/li]
[li]a selfish person cannot accept that the help of others could be unconditional. [/li]
[li]a back-stabber cannot sleep at night because, hey, there’s an unprotected back. [/ul] something like that. to have a low opinion on others based on your own low scruples. is there such a word/phrase/whatever? thanks. [/li]__________________
狗眼看人低
Similar sentiments exist in comments like “there is no honor among thieves” or “to the optimist, the glass is half full, to the pessimist, half-empty.” But as for English aphorisms on the subject in particular, I’d say “what’s sauce for the goose is good for the gander” and “what goes around comes around,” neither of which are fable-like in construction, but do concern the same sentiment.
Is it specifically that kind of construction you are looking for? They exist, they just haven’t been terribly fashionable in a century or so. It’s considered a patronizing form of speech, apparently.
People most readily see in, or ascribe to, others those faults which they have themselves. I think this is a fairly well-recognized and accepted point in psychology, but I don’t know if there’s a specific term for it.
In Paychology, I think that’s called projection, but it doesn’t sound like it’s quite what the OP is after - and I can’t think of any English term that does more than overlap it to some degree.
The nearest phrase I can come up with is for someone to be ‘hoist[ed] by their own petard’ which always sounded to me like being lynched on ones own flagpole, but is apparently an archaic phrase for being blown up by the bomb/grenade you were trying to hurl. So it does mean an ironic suffering by the means with which you intended to hurt others.
