Analects 17.22 · Yang Huo
“To eat one’s fill all day without applying the mind to anything—what a difficult case!”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
飽食終日 無所用心 難矣哉 (bǎo shí zhōng rì, wú suǒ yòng xīn, nán yǐ zāi) means “To eat one’s fill all day without applying the mind to anything—what a difficult case!” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 22.
飽食終日 無所用心 難矣哉
- Pinyin
- bǎo shí zhōng rì, wú suǒ yòng xīn, nán yǐ zāi
- Translation
- To eat one’s fill all day without applying the mind to anything—what a difficult case!
- Source
- Analects, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 22
What does this passage mean?
In Yang Huo, eating one’s fill all day is paired with having nowhere to apply the mind. Confucius strongly criticizes a life that wastes each day without purpose. He continues by saying that even playing a board game would be better, meaning that doing almost anything is preferable to complete idleness.
How can we apply it today?
Material abundance has left more people living without a sense of purpose. A day may disappear into online videos without any particular aim. Confucius’s criticism can sound harsh, but its point is to find somewhere worthy of applying the mind. The goal need not be grand. Discovering an interest and finding even a small pursuit that absorbs us begins a meaningful life.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What currently engages your mind?
- ·When do you feel that you are spending time without meaning?
- ·What is your own way of making a day worthwhile?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 飽 | bǎo | full | 14 | 食 (eat) |
| 食 | shí | eat | 9 | 食 (eat) |
| 終 | zhōng | finish | 11 | 糸 (silk) |
| 日 | rì | day | 4 | 日 (sun) |
| 無 | wú | lack | 12 | 火 (fire) |
| 所 | suǒ | that which | 8 | 戶 (door) |
| 用 | yòng | use | 5 | 用 (use) |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind | 4 | 心 (heart) |
| 難 | nán | difficult | 19 | 隹 (short-tailed bird) |
| 矣 | yǐ | grammatical particle | 7 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 哉 | zāi | grammatical particle | 9 | 口 (mouth) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “To eat one’s fill all day without applying…” mean?
飽食終日 無所用心 難矣哉 (bǎo shí zhōng rì, wú suǒ yòng xīn, nán yǐ zāi) means “To eat one’s fill all day without applying the mind to anything—what a difficult case!” It comes from the Analects, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 22.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 17.22: Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 22.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Material abundance has left more people living without a sense of purpose.A day may disappear into online videos without any particular aim.