Analects 11.19 · Xian Jin
“Hui nearly attained the Way, yet he was frequently destitute.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
回也其庶乎 屢空 (huí yě qí shù hū, lǚ kōng) means “Hui nearly attained the Way, yet he was frequently destitute.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 19.
回也其庶乎 屢空
- Pinyin
- huí yě qí shù hū, lǚ kōng
- Translation
- Hui nearly attained the Way, yet he was frequently destitute.
- Source
- Analects, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 19
What does this passage mean?
In the Xian Jin chapter, Confucius says this about Yan Hui. 庶 means nearly or almost, indicating that Yan Hui had come close to attaining the Way. 屢空 means that he was often in want—materially poor. Confucius observes that Yan Hui had reached an almost perfect moral state yet remained perpetually impoverished. The words carry sorrow over Yan Hui's circumstances as well as profound respect for him.
How can we apply it today?
In reality, ability and reward are not always proportional. Outstanding teachers receive low pay, devoted nurses endure poor conditions, and people serving society often live with financial hardship. Yan Hui's example showed this contradiction twenty-five centuries ago. How society should close the gap between moral contribution and economic reward remains an unresolved question.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Have I experienced conflict between meaningful work and financial reward?
- ·Can I do meaningful work despite material hardship?
- ·What do I believe true abundance is?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 回 | huí | come back | 6 | 囗 (enclosure) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 庶 | shù | several | 11 | 广 (dotted cliff) |
| 乎 | hū | grammatical particle | 5 | 丿 (slash) |
| 屢 | lǚ | often | 14 | 尸 (corpse) |
| 空 | kōng | empty | 8 | 穴 (cave) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Hui nearly attained the Way, yet he was…” mean?
回也其庶乎 屢空 (huí yě qí shù hū, lǚ kōng) means “Hui nearly attained the Way, yet he was frequently destitute.” It comes from the Analects, Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 19.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 11.19: Book 11 (Xian Jin), Chapter 19.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
In reality, ability and reward are not always proportional.Outstanding teachers receive low pay, devoted nurses endure poor conditions, and people serving society often live with financial hardship.