Analects 6.20 · Yong Ye
“Those who know something are not equal to those who love it; those who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
知之者不如好之者 好之者不如樂之者 (zhī zhī zhě bù rú hào zhī zhě, hào zhī zhě bù rú lè zhī zhě) means “Those who know something are not equal to those who love it; those who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 20.
知之者不如好之者 好之者不如樂之者
- Pinyin
- zhī zhī zhě bù rú hào zhī zhě, hào zhī zhě bù rú lè zhī zhě
- Translation
- Those who know something are not equal to those who love it; those who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.
- Source
- Analects, Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 20
What does this passage mean?
This passage from Yong Ye presents three stages of learning: knowing, loving, and delighting. One should advance from knowledge to affection and from affection to joy. Doing something from genuine liking is better than doing it from duty, and doing it with delight is higher still.
How can we apply it today?
Study, exercise, and work follow the same pattern. What is done by force rarely lasts; what we like can be sustained; what we enjoy can become excellent. The modern advice to do what you love expresses a similar idea. Yet instead of waiting to discover an activity that is joyful from the beginning, we can learn to find joy in what we already do. Deep knowledge can become affection, and deep affection can become delight.
Questions to reflect on
- ·Do you enjoy what you are doing now?
- ·What has moved in your life from merely knowing to genuinely liking?
- ·What activity do you do with delight?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 知 | zhī | know | 8 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 好 | hào | delight in | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 好 | hào | delight in | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 樂 | lè | enjoy | 15 | 木 (tree) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 者 | zhě | person | 8 | 老 (old) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Those who know something are not equal to…” mean?
知之者不如好之者 好之者不如樂之者 (zhī zhī zhě bù rú hào zhī zhě, hào zhī zhě bù rú lè zhī zhě) means “Those who know something are not equal to those who love it; those who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.” It comes from the Analects, Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 20.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 6.20: Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 20.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Study, exercise, and work follow the same pattern.What is done by force rarely lasts; what we like can be sustained; what we enjoy can become excellent.