Analects 15.31 · Wei Ling Gong
“I once spent an entire day without eating and an entire night without sleeping, absorbed in thought. It brought no benefit; studying would have been better.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
吾嘗終日不食 終夜不寢 以思 無益 不如學也 (wú cháng zhōng rì bù shí, zhōng yè bù qǐn, yǐ sī, wú yì, bù rú xué yě) means “I once spent an entire day without eating and an entire night without sleeping, absorbed in thought. It brought no benefit; studying would have been better.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 31.
吾嘗終日不食 終夜不寢 以思 無益 不如學也
- Pinyin
- wú cháng zhōng rì bù shí, zhōng yè bù qǐn, yǐ sī, wú yì, bù rú xué yě
- Translation
- I once spent an entire day without eating and an entire night without sleeping, absorbed in thought. It brought no benefit; studying would have been better.
- Source
- Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 31
What does this passage mean?
In Wei Ling Gong, Confucius frankly describes his own experience. He once spent an entire day without food and an entire night without sleep in thought, but gained nothing. He concluded that learning was better than isolated reflection. The passage applies the lesson that learning without thought is empty and thought without learning dangerous. Thinking alone has limits; we must humbly learn from the wisdom of others.
How can we apply it today?
Trying to discover a method entirely on your own may amount to reinventing the wheel. Someone may already have wrestled with the same question and found an answer in a book, through mentoring, or among colleagues. Humbly receiving outside wisdom is an efficient path to growth. We still need to think in order to make a lesson our own, but learning should provide the starting point.
Questions to reflect on
- ·When have you become stuck while thinking alone?
- ·Did you ask another person for help?
- ·What do you consider a healthy balance between learning and reflection?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 吾 | wú | I; me | 7 | 口 (mouth) |
| 嘗 | cháng | once | 14 | 口 (mouth) |
| 終 | zhōng | finish | 11 | 糸 (silk) |
| 日 | rì | day | 4 | 日 (sun) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 食 | shí | eat | 9 | 食 (eat) |
| 終 | zhōng | finish | 11 | 糸 (silk) |
| 夜 | yè | night | 8 | 夕 (evening) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 寢 | qǐn | sleep | 14 | 宀 (roof) |
| 以 | yǐ | by means of | 5 | 人 (person) |
| 思 | sī | think | 9 | 心 (heart) |
| 無 | wú | lack | 12 | 火 (fire) |
| 益 | yì | beneficial | 10 | 皿 (dish) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 學 | xué | learn | 16 | 子 (child) |
| 也 | yě | grammatical particle | 3 | 乙 (second) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “I once spent an entire day without eating…” mean?
吾嘗終日不食 終夜不寢 以思 無益 不如學也 (wú cháng zhōng rì bù shí, zhōng yè bù qǐn, yǐ sī, wú yì, bù rú xué yě) means “I once spent an entire day without eating and an entire night without sleeping, absorbed in thought. It brought no benefit; studying would have been better.” It comes from the Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 31.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 15.31: Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 31.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Trying to discover a method entirely on your own may amount to reinventing the wheel.