Analects 16.7 · Ji Shi
“The exemplary person has three cautions: in youth, guard against sensual desire; in maturity, against aggression; and in old age, against acquisitiveness.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
君子有三戒 少之時戒之在色 及其壯也戒之在鬪 及其老也戒之在得 (jūn zǐ yǒu sān jiè, shào zhī shí jiè zhī zài sè, jí qí zhuàng yě jiè zhī zài dòu, jí qí lǎo yě jiè zhī zài dé) means “The exemplary person has three cautions: in youth, guard against sensual desire; in maturity, against aggression; and in old age, against acquisitiveness.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 7.
君子有三戒 少之時戒之在色 及其壯也戒之在鬪 及其老也戒之在得
- Pinyin
- jūn zǐ yǒu sān jiè, shào zhī shí jiè zhī zài sè, jí qí zhuàng yě jiè zhī zài dòu, jí qí lǎo yě jiè zhī zài dé
- Translation
- The exemplary person has three cautions: in youth, guard against sensual desire; in maturity, against aggression; and in old age, against acquisitiveness.
- Source
- Analects, Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 7
What does this passage mean?
In this passage from the Ji Shi chapter, Confucius identifies cautions appropriate to three stages of life. 色 means sensual desire, especially between the sexes; 鬪 means contention, competition, and struggles for power; and 得 means greed for possessions. In youth, when vital energies are unsettled, one should guard against lust. In maturity, when those energies are vigorous, one should guard against contention. In old age, when they decline, one should guard against attachment and greed. This is a theory of self-cultivation spanning the whole of life.
How can we apply it today?
Each stage of life has its own common traps. In our twenties we are easily swayed by emotion and desire; in our forties we may waste energy on competition and power struggles at work; after our sixties we may become trapped by the urge to hold on to what we have or accumulate still more. Wisdom means understanding the risks particular to our age and guarding against them in advance. We should examine what deserves the greatest caution at our present stage of life.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What must I guard against most at my current stage of life?
- ·Have I ever regretted failing to heed such a warning in the past?
- ·Am I preparing in advance for the traps of the life stage ahead?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 君 | jūn | ruler | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 子 | zǐ | son | 3 | 子 (child) |
| 有 | yǒu | exist | 6 | 月 (moon) |
| 三 | sān | three | 3 | 一 (one) |
| 戒 | jiè | be vigilant | 7 | 戈 (halberd) |
| 少 | shào | young | 4 | 小 (small) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 時 | shí | time | 10 | 日 (sun) |
| 戒 | jiè | be vigilant | 7 | 戈 (halberd) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 在 | zài | exist | 6 | 土 (earth) |
| 色 | sè | beauty; sensuality | 6 | 色 (color) |
| 及 | jí | reach | 4 | 又 (again) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 壯 | zhuàng | strong | 7 | 士 (scholar) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 戒 | jiè | be vigilant | 7 | 戈 (halberd) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 在 | zài | exist | 6 | 土 (earth) |
| 鬪 | dòu | fight | 20 | 鬥 (fight) |
| 及 | jí | reach | 4 | 又 (again) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 老 | lǎo | old | 6 | 老 (old) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
| 戒 | jiè | be vigilant | 7 | 戈 (halberd) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 在 | zài | exist | 6 | 土 (earth) |
| 得 | dé | obtain | 11 | 彳 (step) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “The exemplary person has three cautions: in…” mean?
君子有三戒 少之時戒之在色 及其壯也戒之在鬪 及其老也戒之在得 (jūn zǐ yǒu sān jiè, shào zhī shí jiè zhī zài sè, jí qí zhuàng yě jiè zhī zài dòu, jí qí lǎo yě jiè zhī zài dé) means “The exemplary person has three cautions: in youth, guard against sensual desire; in maturity, against aggression; and in old age, against acquisitiveness.” It comes from the Analects, Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 7.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 16.7: Book 16 (Ji Shi), Chapter 7.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Each stage of life has its own common traps.