Analects 7.15 · Shu Er
“They sought humaneness and attained it; what was there to resent?”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
求仁而得仁 又何怨 (qiú rén ér dé rén, yòu hé yuàn) means “They sought humaneness and attained it; what was there to resent?” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 7 (Shu Er), Chapter 15.
求仁而得仁 又何怨
- Pinyin
- qiú rén ér dé rén, yòu hé yuàn
- Translation
- They sought humaneness and attained it; what was there to resent?
- Source
- Analects, Book 7 (Shu Er), Chapter 15
What does this passage mean?
This line from the fifteenth chapter of Shu Er concerns Bo Yi and Shu Qi. Zigong, wanting to know his teacher’s view of the political situation in Wei, asks indirectly what kind of men Bo Yi and Shu Qi were. Confucius calls them worthies of old. When Zigong asks whether they felt resentment, Confucius replies that they sought humaneness and attained it, so what was there to resent? Bo Yi and Shu Qi each yielded the throne to the other and later starved to death rather than eat the grain of Zhou. In worldly eyes they lost, but because they fully kept the value they had chosen, they had no resentment.
How can we apply it today?
Regret runs deeper when we betray our own values than when we fail to get what we want. Someone who turns down good terms to keep their convictions feels no resentment even at a loss, while success bought by selling one’s convictions always leaves a bitter aftertaste. Confucius shifts the standard of choice from outcome to value: what did I seek, and did I attain it? If you sought honesty rather than promotion, then by keeping your honesty you have already gained. Before counting what was lost, ask honestly what you sought, and much of the resentment disappears.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What are you seeking as you live?
- ·Do you still resent a loss you suffered by keeping your convictions?
- ·When the result you want and the value you want to keep collide, which do you choose?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 求 | qiú | seek | 7 | 水 (water) |
| 仁 | rén | benevolent | 4 | 人 (person) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 得 | dé | obtain | 11 | 彳 (step) |
| 仁 | rén | benevolent | 4 | 人 (person) |
| 又 | yòu | again | 2 | 又 (again) |
| 何 | hé | how | 7 | 人 (person) |
| 怨 | yuàn | resent | 9 | 心 (heart) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “They sought humaneness and attained it…” mean?
求仁而得仁 又何怨 (qiú rén ér dé rén, yòu hé yuàn) means “They sought humaneness and attained it; what was there to resent?” It comes from the Analects, Book 7 (Shu Er), Chapter 15.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 7.15: Book 7 (Shu Er), Chapter 15.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Regret runs deeper when we betray our own values than when we fail to get what we want.