Analects 2.6 · Wei Zheng
“Let your parents have no worry but that of your falling ill.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
父母唯其疾之憂 (fù mǔ wéi qí jí zhī yōu) means “Let your parents have no worry but that of your falling ill.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 6.
父母唯其疾之憂
- Pinyin
- fù mǔ wéi qí jí zhī yōu
- Translation
- Let your parents have no worry but that of your falling ill.
- Source
- Analects, Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 6
What does this passage mean?
In the sixth chapter of Wei Zheng, Meng Wubo asks about filial devotion and Confucius gives this brief reply. It has been read in two ways. One reading is that a child should give parents nothing to worry about except illness; that is, by conducting oneself well, one spares them every other anxiety. The other is that a child should care for parents with the same concern they would feel for a parent’s illness. Zhu Xi favored the first. Meng Wubo was a young man from a powerful family in Lu, and Confucius seems to be telling him that keeping himself from harm and from reckless ventures is itself filial devotion.
How can we apply it today?
What makes parents worry is usually not illness but behavior: being unreachable late at night, reckless investments, dangerous driving, habits that wear the body down. Confucius reframes filial devotion not as grand support but as self-care. Living so that the people who love you need not lie awake over you is the most basic form of devotion and consideration. The principle extends beyond parents and children. Making sure that a spouse, a friend, or a colleague does not have to worry about you is where every relationship begins.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What do the people who care about you worry about these days?
- ·Which of those worries could you ease through your own conduct?
- ·Have you ever felt that taking care of your body was also an act of care for someone else?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 父 | fù | father | 4 | 父 (father) |
| 母 | mǔ | mother | 5 | 毋 (do not) |
| 唯 | wéi | only | 11 | 口 (mouth) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 疾 | jí | hate; affliction | 10 | 疒 (sickness) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 憂 | yōu | concern | 15 | 心 (heart) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Let your parents have no worry but that of…” mean?
父母唯其疾之憂 (fù mǔ wéi qí jí zhī yōu) means “Let your parents have no worry but that of your falling ill.” It comes from the Analects, Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 6.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 2.6: Book 2 (Wei Zheng), Chapter 6.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
What makes parents worry is usually not illness but behavior: being unreachable late at night, reckless investments, dangerous driving, habits that wear the body down.