Analects 17.15 · Yang Huo
“Can a base person be trusted to serve a ruler? Before gaining office, such a person worries about obtaining it; after gaining it, about losing it. Once afraid of losing it, there is nothing that person will not do.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
鄙夫可與事君也與哉 其未得之也患得之 既得之患失之 苟患失之 無所不至矣 (bǐ fū kě yǔ shì jūn yě yú zāi, qí wèi dé zhī yě huàn dé zhī, jì dé zhī huàn shī zhī, gǒu huàn shī zhī, wú suǒ bù zhì yǐ) means “Can a base person be trusted to serve a ruler? Before gaining office, such a person worries about obtaining it; after gaining it, about losing it. Once afraid of losing it, there is nothing that person will not do.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 15.
鄙夫可與事君也與哉 其未得之也患得之 既得之患失之 苟患失之 無所不至矣
- Pinyin
- bǐ fū kě yǔ shì jūn yě yú zāi, qí wèi dé zhī yě huàn dé zhī, jì dé zhī huàn shī zhī, gǒu huàn shī zhī, wú suǒ bù zhì yǐ
- Translation
- Can a base person be trusted to serve a ruler? Before gaining office, such a person worries about obtaining it; after gaining it, about losing it. Once afraid of losing it, there is nothing that person will not do.
- Source
- Analects, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 15
What does this passage mean?
In this passage from the Yang Huo chapter, 鄙夫 means a base, petty person. Confucius says that such a person cannot be allowed to serve a ruler alongside him. The reason is that before gaining a position, the person anxiously schemes to obtain it (患得); once it is gained, the person worries about losing it (患失). The idiom 患得患失, 'anxious over both gain and loss,' comes from this passage. Confucius warns that someone consumed by the fear of loss may stoop to any shameful act.
How can we apply it today?
Many people desperately seek position, property, or fame, then suffer anxiety over losing it once it is theirs. They trample colleagues in pursuit of promotion, act unethically to preserve wealth, or deceive themselves to remain popular. These are all modern forms of being anxious over gain and loss. We cannot become wholly indifferent to what we gain or lose, but if we stake everything upon it, we ultimately lose ourselves.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What am I afraid of losing now?
- ·Is that fear distorting my conduct?
- ·Can I become more composed about gain and loss?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鄙 | bǐ | base | 13 | 邑 (city) |
| 夫 | fū | husband | 4 | 大 (big) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 與 | yǔ | together with | 14 | 臼 (mortar) |
| 事 | shì | affair; serve | 8 | 亅 (hook) |
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 與 | yú | question particle | 14 | 臼 (mortar) |
| 哉 | zāi | grammatical particle | 9 | 口 (mouth) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 未 | wèi | still | 5 | 木 (tree) |
| 得 | dé | obtain | 11 | 彳 (step) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 患 | huàn | worry | 11 | 心 (heart) |
| 得 | dé | obtain | 11 | 彳 (step) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 既 | jì | already | 10 | 旡 (choke) |
| 得 | dé | obtain | 11 | 彳 (step) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 患 | huàn | worry | 11 | 心 (heart) |
| 失 | shī | lose | 5 | 大 (big) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 苟 | gǒu | truly | 8 | 艸 (grass) |
| 患 | huàn | worry | 11 | 心 (heart) |
| 失 | shī | lose | 5 | 大 (big) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 無 | wú | lack | 12 | 火 (fire) |
| 所 | suǒ | that which | 8 | 戶 (door) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 至 | zhì | arrive | 6 | 至 (arrive) |
| 矣 | yǐ | grammatical particle | 7 | 矢 (arrow) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Can a base person be trusted to serve a…” mean?
鄙夫可與事君也與哉 其未得之也患得之 既得之患失之 苟患失之 無所不至矣 (bǐ fū kě yǔ shì jūn yě yú zāi, qí wèi dé zhī yě huàn dé zhī, jì dé zhī huàn shī zhī, gǒu huàn shī zhī, wú suǒ bù zhì yǐ) means “Can a base person be trusted to serve a ruler? Before gaining office, such a person worries about obtaining it; after gaining it, about losing it. Once afraid of losing it, there is nothing that person will not do.” It comes from the Analects, Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 15.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 17.15: Book 17 (Yang Huo), Chapter 15.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Many people desperately seek position, property, or fame, then suffer anxiety over losing it once it is theirs.