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不患人之不己知

bùhuànrénzhībùjǐzhī
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 do not worry that others do not know you
  2. 2 (fig.) a gentleman's concern is self-cultivation, not external recognition
  3. 3 (lit.) not worry (about) others' not-self-knowing

Examples

孔子教人不患人之不己知，患不知人也。
Kǒngzǐ jiào rén bù huàn rén zhī bù jǐ zhī, huàn bù zhī rén yě.
Confucius taught: 'do not worry that others do not know you — worry that you do not know others.'
做学问应有不患人之不己知的平常心。
Zuò xuéwèn yīng yǒu bù huàn rén zhī bù jǐ zhī de píngcháng xīn.
Doing scholarship requires the equanimity of 'not worrying that others fail to recognize you.'

Tips

history
From 《论语·学而》(Analects, Book I, Confucius, c. 500 BCE): 不患人之不己知，患不知人也 (Do not worry that others do not know you; worry that you do not know others). Confucius restates this idea multiple times in the Analects (里仁, 卫灵公 chapters too), one of his core teachings on humility and self-focus.
usage
Classical word order: 之 is a subordination particle turning the clause into a noun; 不己知 = 不知己 ('not knowing me') with 己 fronted as object of negative verb (classical fronting rule). Always quoted with the balancing second clause 患不知人也.

Stroke Order

不 bù
患 huàn
人 rén
之 zhī
己 jǐ
知 zhī