Analects 15.32 · Wei Ling Gong
“The exemplary person plans for the Way, not for food; worries about the Way, not about poverty.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子謀道不謀食 君子憂道不憂貧 (jūn zǐ móu dào bù móu shí, jūn zǐ yōu dào bù yōu pín) means “The exemplary person plans for the Way, not for food; worries about the Way, not about poverty.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 32.
君子謀道不謀食 君子憂道不憂貧
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ móu dào bù móu shí, jūn zǐ yōu dào bù yōu pín
- Translation
- The exemplary person plans for the Way, not for food; worries about the Way, not about poverty.
- Source
- Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 32
What does this passage mean?
This passage comes from the thirty-second chapter of Wei Ling Gong: the exemplary person plans for the Way, not for food, and worries about the Way, not about poverty. In the full text Confucius adds that one may farm and still go hungry, while in learning there is a salary. Clinging to the problem of making a living does not guarantee a living, whereas the pursuit of the Way may bring a livelihood along with it. The passage does not tell us to ignore livelihood; it asks where we place our priorities. Confucius himself grew up poor, yet he put learning first, and in the end that learning sustained his life.
How can we apply it today?
No one can live without worrying about a livelihood, and Confucius did not deny that. He only asked what we worry about first. If we live worrying only about making a living, we lose sight of why we live at all. Conversely, when we concentrate on the work we believe in, the things we want to learn, and what we want to do well, a livelihood often follows as a result. The person who changes jobs for salary and the person who chooses work for skill stand in different places ten years later. Worry a little less about poverty and a little more about the road you are walking: that is how this passage is practiced.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What do you worry about most these days?
- ·Are you postponing the road you want to walk because of worries about livelihood?
- ·Have you ever put the Way first and found that a livelihood followed?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 謀 | móu | plot | 16 | 言 (speech) |
| 道 | dào | the Way; road | 13 | 辵 (walk) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 謀 | móu | plot | 16 | 言 (speech) |
| 食 | shí | eat; food | 9 | 食 (eat) |
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 憂 | yōu | worry | 15 | 心 (heart) |
| 道 | dào | the Way; road | 13 | 辵 (walk) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 憂 | yōu | worry | 15 | 心 (heart) |
| 貧 | pín | poor | 11 | 貝 (shell) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person plans for the Way, not…” mean?
君子謀道不謀食 君子憂道不憂貧 (jūn zǐ móu dào bù móu shí, jūn zǐ yōu dào bù yōu pín) means “The exemplary person plans for the Way, not for food; worries about the Way, not about poverty.” It comes from the Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 32.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 15.32: Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 32.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
No one can live without worrying about a livelihood, and Confucius did not deny that.He only asked what we worry about first.