Analects 20.2 · Yao Yue
“The exemplary person is generous without waste, demanding without provoking resentment, desiring without greed, composed without arrogance, and dignified without ferocity.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子惠而不費 勞而不怨 欲而不貪 泰而不驕 威而不猛 (jūn zǐ huì ér bù fèi, láo ér bù yuàn, yù ér bù tān, tài ér bù jiāo, wēi ér bù měng) means “The exemplary person is generous without waste, demanding without provoking resentment, desiring without greed, composed without arrogance, and dignified without ferocity.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 20 (Yao Yue), Chapter 2.
君子惠而不費 勞而不怨 欲而不貪 泰而不驕 威而不猛
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ huì ér bù fèi, láo ér bù yuàn, yù ér bù tān, tài ér bù jiāo, wēi ér bù měng
- Translation
- The exemplary person is generous without waste, demanding without provoking resentment, desiring without greed, composed without arrogance, and dignified without ferocity.
- Source
- Analects, Book 20 (Yao Yue), Chapter 2
What does this passage mean?
In the second chapter of Yao Yue, Zizhang asks about government and Confucius names five excellences: generous without waste, demanding without provoking resentment, desiring without greed, composed without arrogance, and dignified without ferocity. When Zizhang asks what these mean, Confucius explains each. Benefit the people by what they themselves find beneficial, and there is no waste; choose the labor that is worth doing, and there is no resentment; desire humaneness and attain it, and there is no greed; treat neither many nor few, neither great nor small, with contempt, and there is no arrogance; keep one’s dress correct and one’s gaze grave, and there is no ferocity. All five are virtues of balance, of doing without going too far.
How can we apply it today?
The five excellences point to five excesses that leaders easily fall into. Generosity is good but becomes waste; demanding work is necessary but breeds resentment; having goals is right but becomes greed; ease is good but drifts into arrogance; authority is needed but becomes intimidation. Confucius pairs each virtue with its opposite vice to draw a boundary. Increase the welfare budget but measure its effect; ask for overtime but make the reason understood; want growth but do not overreach. The condition of a good leader is not the presence of virtues but the restraint that keeps them from overflowing.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Which of the five are you most prone to overdo?
- ·Has a good intention ever caused trouble by becoming excessive?
- ·Do people feel your authority as dignity or as intimidation?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 惠 | huì | kindness | 12 | 心 (heart) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 費 | fèi | waste; expense | 12 | 貝 (shell) |
| 勞 | láo | toil; labor | 12 | 力 (power) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 怨 | yuàn | resent | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 欲 | yù | hope for | 11 | 欠 (lack) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 貪 | tān | covet | 11 | 貝 (shell) |
| 泰 | tài | composed; dignified | 10 | 水 (water) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 驕 | jiāo | arrogant | 22 | 馬 (horse) |
| 威 | wēi | dignity | 9 | 女 (woman) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 猛 | měng | fierce | 11 | 犬 (dog) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person is generous without…” mean?
君子惠而不費 勞而不怨 欲而不貪 泰而不驕 威而不猛 (jūn zǐ huì ér bù fèi, láo ér bù yuàn, yù ér bù tān, tài ér bù jiāo, wēi ér bù měng) means “The exemplary person is generous without waste, demanding without provoking resentment, desiring without greed, composed without arrogance, and dignified without ferocity.” It comes from the Analects, Book 20 (Yao Yue), Chapter 2.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 20.2: Book 20 (Yao Yue), Chapter 2.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
The five excellences point to five excesses that leaders easily fall into.