Analects 15.27 · Wei Ling Gong
“Impatience in small matters can disrupt a great plan.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
小不忍則亂大謀 (xiǎo bù rěn zé luàn dà móu) means “Impatience in small matters can disrupt a great plan.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 27.
小不忍則亂大謀
- Pinyin
- xiǎo bù rěn zé luàn dà móu
- Translation
- Impatience in small matters can disrupt a great plan.
- Source
- Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 27
What does this passage mean?
Failing to endure a small matter means allowing immediate anger or impulse to disrupt a great plan. The passage emphasizes strategic patience. In Confucius’s time as in ours, rulers sometimes launched wars or broke alliances because they could not master a momentary emotion.
How can we apply it today?
Many of us have regretted sending an emotional email in a flash of anger. The same pattern appears when someone quits over a small frustration, ends an important relationship over a minor dispute, or abandons an investment through impatience. We need a habit of pausing when emotion rises and recalling the larger purpose.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What impulsive action have you regretted?
- ·How do you manage anger?
- ·When have you endured something small for the sake of a larger goal?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 小 | xiǎo | small | 3 | 小 (small) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 忍 | rěn | endure | 7 | 心 (heart) |
| 則 | zé | then; immediately | 9 | 刀 (knife) |
| 亂 | luàn | disordered | 13 | 乙 (second) |
| 大 | dà | great | 3 | 大 (big) |
| 謀 | móu | plot | 16 | 言 (speech) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Impatience in small matters can disrupt a…” mean?
小不忍則亂大謀 (xiǎo bù rěn zé luàn dà móu) means “Impatience in small matters can disrupt a great plan.” It comes from the Analects, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 27.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 15.27: Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong), Chapter 27.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Many of us have regretted sending an emotional email in a flash of anger.