Analects 9.27 · Zi Han
“Neither envious nor covetous, how could he be anything but good?”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
不忮不求 何用不臧 (bù zhì bù qiú, hé yòng bù zāng) means “Neither envious nor covetous, how could he be anything but good?” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 27.
不忮不求 何用不臧
- Pinyin
- bù zhì bù qiú, hé yòng bù zāng
- Translation
- Neither envious nor covetous, how could he be anything but good?
- Source
- Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 27
What does this passage mean?
In the twenty-seventh chapter of Zi Han, Confucius praises Zilu as someone who could stand beside people dressed in fox and badger furs while wearing a tattered padded robe and feel no shame, and he quotes this verse from the Book of Songs. The first key character means envying and harming others; the second means coveting what others have. Neither envious nor covetous, how could he be anything but good? Zilu loved the verse so much that he recited it constantly, and Confucius then prodded him: how could that alone be enough? The teaching praises the dignity of not comparing oneself with others, yet warns against stopping there in self-satisfaction.
How can we apply it today?
Social media is a comparison machine. Watching other people’s trips, houses, and promotions every day, envy and craving grow. Zilu’s dignity was that he was not cowed by someone in expensive clothes while wearing worn ones himself. Being neither envious nor covetous does not romanticize poverty; it means living by one’s own standard. Yet Confucius told him to go a step further: freedom from comparison is a starting point, not a destination. Once you have stopped comparing yourself with others, it is time to compare yourself with who you were yesterday and move on.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What are you envying or coveting these days?
- ·Can you hold your head high with less than others have?
- ·Once free of comparison, what are you moving toward?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 忮 | zhì | envy; harm | 7 | 心 (heart) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 求 | qiú | seek | 7 | 水 (water) |
| 何 | hé | how | 7 | 人 (person) |
| 用 | yòng | use | 5 | 用 (use) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 臧 | zāng | good | 14 | 臣 (minister) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Neither envious nor covetous, how could he…” mean?
不忮不求 何用不臧 (bù zhì bù qiú, hé yòng bù zāng) means “Neither envious nor covetous, how could he be anything but good?” It comes from the Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 27.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 9.27: Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 27.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Social media is a comparison machine.Watching other people’s trips, houses, and promotions every day, envy and craving grow.