The Original Quote:
子曰：“君子谋道不谋食。耕也馁在其中矣，学也禄在其中矣。君子忧道不忧贫。”
Zǐ yuē: “Jūnzǐ móu dào bù móu shí. Gēng yě něi zài qí zhōng yǐ, xué yě lù zài qí zhōng yǐ. Jūnzǐ yōu dào bù yōu pín.”
English Translation:
The Master said: “The superior person (jūnzǐ) seeks the Way (dào), not mere sustenance. In tilling the fields, hunger may yet abide; in pursuing learning, emolument is found therein. The superior person worries about the Way, not about poverty.”
Key Concepts Explained:
- 君子 (jūnzǐ): The exemplary or superior person—one who cultivates moral virtue and seeks to embody ethical principles in all actions.
- 道 (dào): The Way—the fundamental moral order of the universe and the path of righteous conduct in personal life and governance.
- 禄 (lù): Emolument or official salary—material reward that naturally accompanies learning and virtuous service, not as primary aim but as secondary benefit.
- 忧 (yōu): Anxious concern or deep care—the proper focus of a cultivated mind on moral growth rather than material lack.
Cultural Context:
This passage from the Analects (Lúnyǔ, Book 15, Chapter 32) reflects Confucius’s core teaching that human fulfillment lies in moral cultivation (xiūshēn) and social harmony (zhìguó), not in the accumulation of wealth. The term “dào” here signifies the ethical framework for ordering both self and society—an ideal that Confucius considered worth dying for (“If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content that evening,” Analects 4.8). The saying does not disdain labor or livelihood; rather, it redirects human striving toward the ultimate end of moral purpose. Historically, this teaching shaped China’s scholar-official class (shì), who valued learning and public service over commercial gain, though later critics misinterpreted it as contempt for agriculture. In truth, Confucius held that by pursuing the Way, one secures the foundational order that enables all honorable livelihoods to flourish.