Analects 9.13 · Zi Han
“Sell it! Sell it! I am one who waits for the right price.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
沽之哉 沽之哉 我待賈者也 (gū zhī zāi, gū zhī zāi, wǒ dài jià zhě yě) means “Sell it! Sell it! I am one who waits for the right price.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 13.
沽之哉 沽之哉 我待賈者也
- Pinyin
- gū zhī zāi, gū zhī zāi, wǒ dài jià zhě yě
- Translation
- Sell it! Sell it! I am one who waits for the right price.
- Source
- Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 13
What does this passage mean?
In the thirteenth chapter of Zi Han, Zigong puts an oblique question to his teacher: if there were a beautiful piece of jade here, would you lock it in a case, or seek a good merchant and sell it? He was asking, through the image of jade, why the Master did not take office. Confucius answers: sell it, sell it, I am one who waits for the right price. It is not that he does not wish to be of use to the world; he is waiting for a ruler who will recognize his Way and use it properly. Neither refusing to sell nor selling to anyone at all: the balance of Confucius’s stance is clear. ‘Waiting for a buyer’ later became a common expression for biding one’s time.
How can we apply it today?
Hiding one’s talent and turning away from the world is not the answer, and neither is selling oneself on any terms. Confucius shows a third path: wait for a place that recognizes your worth, and polish yourself in the meantime. For someone considering a job change, preparing to start a business, or about to release a work into the world, this passage offers a standard. Do not sell cheaply out of impatience, but do not keep yourself locked in a case forever either. Waiting is not passive. It is the time spent preparing so that when someone who recognizes the right price appears, you have something to offer.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Are you selling your worth too cheaply, or keeping it locked away?
- ·What are you polishing while you wait?
- ·When a place that recognizes your worth appears, will you be ready to offer it?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 沽 | gū | sell | 8 | 水 (water) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 哉 | zāi | grammatical particle | 9 | 口 (mouth) |
| 沽 | gū | sell | 8 | 水 (water) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 哉 | zāi | grammatical particle | 9 | 口 (mouth) |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me | 7 | 戈 (halberd) |
| 待 | dài | wait for | 9 | 彳 (step) |
| 賈 | jià | price; buyer | 13 | 貝 (shell) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Sell it! Sell it! I am one who waits for…” mean?
沽之哉 沽之哉 我待賈者也 (gū zhī zāi, gū zhī zāi, wǒ dài jià zhě yě) means “Sell it! Sell it! I am one who waits for the right price.” It comes from the Analects, Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 13.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 9.13: Book 9 (Zi Han), Chapter 13.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Hiding one’s talent and turning away from the world is not the answer, and neither is selling oneself on any terms.