Analects 12.21 · Yan Yuan
“In a single morning’s anger to forget oneself and bring harm even to one’s parents: is that not delusion?”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
一朝之忿 忘其身以及其親 非惑與 (yī zhāo zhī fèn, wàng qí shēn yǐ jí qí qīn, fēi huò yú) means “In a single morning’s anger to forget oneself and bring harm even to one’s parents: is that not delusion?” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 21.
一朝之忿 忘其身以及其親 非惑與
- Pinyin
- yī zhāo zhī fèn, wàng qí shēn yǐ jí qí qīn, fēi huò yú
- Translation
- In a single morning’s anger to forget oneself and bring harm even to one’s parents: is that not delusion?
- Source
- Analects, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 21
What does this passage mean?
This is the last part of the answer Confucius gives in the twenty-first chapter of Yan Yuan when Fan Chi asks how to exalt virtue, correct bad thoughts, and discern delusion. Is it not delusion, he says, when a single morning’s anger makes a person forget himself and brings harm even to his parents? He is warning that a deed committed in momentary rage does not end with one’s own ruin but endangers one’s family too. Rather than defining delusion abstractly, Confucius explains it through the concrete scene of an emotional outburst that everyone has experienced. Governing anger, he implies, is where wisdom begins.
How can we apply it today?
One message sent in anger, one act of road rage, one outburst in a meeting can demolish a career and a relationship in an instant. And the price is not paid by you alone. Your family shares the shame, your livelihood wavers, and trust built over years disappears. The delusion Confucius names is forgetting this calculation. Simply pausing when anger rises and asking who will pay for it can prevent a great deal. Anger itself is no fault, but surrendering to it is a gamble that stakes yourself and your family.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Have you ever regretted something done in the heat of anger?
- ·Who pays the price of your anger along with you?
- ·Do you have a way of stopping yourself when anger rises?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | yī | one | 1 | 一 (one) |
| 朝 | zhāo | morning | 12 | 月 (moon) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 忿 | fèn | anger | 8 | 心 (heart) |
| 忘 | wàng | forget | 7 | 心 (heart) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 身 | shēn | body | 7 | 身 (body) |
| 以 | yǐ | by means of | 5 | 人 (person) |
| 及 | jí | reach | 4 | 又 (again) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 親 | qīn | parents | 16 | 見 (see) |
| 非 | fēi | not | 8 | 非 (wrong) |
| 惑 | huò | be deluded | 12 | 心 (heart) |
| 與 | yú | question particle | 14 | 臼 (mortar) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “In a single morning’s anger to forget…” mean?
一朝之忿 忘其身以及其親 非惑與 (yī zhāo zhī fèn, wàng qí shēn yǐ jí qí qīn, fēi huò yú) means “In a single morning’s anger to forget oneself and bring harm even to one’s parents: is that not delusion?” It comes from the Analects, Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 21.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 12.21: Book 12 (Yan Yuan), Chapter 21.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
One message sent in anger, one act of road rage, one outburst in a meeting can demolish a career and a relationship in an instant.And the price is not paid by you alone.