Mencius 7A.27
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「飢者甘食，渴者甘飲，是未得飲食之正也，飢渴害之也。豈惟口腹有飢渴之害？人心亦皆有害。人能無以飢渴之害為心害，則不及人不為憂矣。」
Mencius said, 'The hungry think any food sweet, and the thirsty think the same of any drink, and thus they do not get the right taste of what they eat and drink. The hunger and thirst, in fact, injure their palate. And is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men's minds are also injured by them. If a man can prevent the evils of hunger and thirst from being any evils to his mind, he need not have any sorrow about not being equal to other men.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 飢jīhungry, starving; hunger, famine
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 甘gānsweet, tasty; willing
- 食shífood; to eat
- 渴kěthirsty, parched; to yearn, to pine for
- 飲yǐnto swallow, to drink; a kind of drink
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 正zhèngstraight, right, proper, correct, just,
- 也yěalso, too
- 害hàito injure, to harm; to destroy, to kill
- 豈qǐwhat; how
- 惟wéibut, however, nevertheless; only
- 口kǒumouth; entrance, gate, opening
- 腹fùstomach, belly, abdomen; inside
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 人rénman, person; people
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 皆jiēall, every, everybody
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 憂yōusad, grieving; melancholy, grief
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 2A.2
- Mencius 2A.1
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
- Mencius 3B.9
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.