Analects 13.24 · Zi Lu
“Better that the good people of the village like him and the bad people dislike him.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
不如鄉人之善者好之 其不善者惡之 (bù rú xiāng rén zhī shàn zhě hào zhī, qí bù shàn zhě wù zhī) means “Better that the good people of the village like him and the bad people dislike him.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 24.
不如鄉人之善者好之 其不善者惡之
- Pinyin
- bù rú xiāng rén zhī shàn zhě hào zhī, qí bù shàn zhě wù zhī
- Translation
- Better that the good people of the village like him and the bad people dislike him.
- Source
- Analects, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 24
What does this passage mean?
This is the exchange in the twenty-fourth chapter of Zi Lu. Zigong asks what to make of a person whom everyone in the village likes, and Confucius says that is not enough; he asks about a person whom everyone dislikes, and Confucius says that too is not enough. Better, he says, that the good people of the village like him and the bad people dislike him. Being loved by everyone may be no virtue at all but evidence of never having shown anyone a principle; being hated by everyone is a problem too. Confucius tells us to look at who likes us and who dislikes us. The passage asks about the quality of a reputation, not its quantity.
How can we apply it today?
Trying to be a good person to everyone is a common trap. If you refuse to make anyone uncomfortable, you cannot hold any principle at all. Confucius’s standard is different: do good people like you, and do those who do wrong find you inconvenient? A person who will not overlook corruption is disliked by the corrupt, and that is not failure but a sign of having principles. In managing your reputation, instead of counting how many people like you, look at who likes you and who does not; that is how to know exactly where you stand. Everyone’s approval may amount to no one’s trust.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What kind of people like you?
- ·Have you ever lost your principles while trying to please everyone?
- ·Can you bear being disliked by someone because of your principles?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 鄉 | xiāng | countryside | 13 | 邑 (city) |
| 人 | rén | person | 2 | 人 (person) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 善 | shàn | good | 12 | 口 (mouth) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 好 | hào | delight in | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 善 | shàn | good | 12 | 口 (mouth) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 惡 | wù | hate | 12 | 心 (heart) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Better that the good people of the village…” mean?
不如鄉人之善者好之 其不善者惡之 (bù rú xiāng rén zhī shàn zhě hào zhī, qí bù shàn zhě wù zhī) means “Better that the good people of the village like him and the bad people dislike him.” It comes from the Analects, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 24.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 13.24: Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 24.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Trying to be a good person to everyone is a common trap.If you refuse to make anyone uncomfortable, you cannot hold any principle at all.