亦我所欲也

yì wǒ suǒ yù yě
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 is also what I desire
  2. 2 something I too want (set phrase from Mencius, used in weighing priorities)
  3. 3 (lit.) also that which I want

Examples

HSK 7-9
Yú, wǒ suǒ yù yě; xióngzhǎng, yìwǒsuǒyùyě, zhè shì Mèngzǐ zhùmíng de bǐyù.
'Fish is what I want; bear's paw is also what I want' - this is Mencius's famous analogy.
HSK 7-9
Jiànkāng shì wǒ xiǎng yào de, cáifù yìwǒsuǒyùyě, dàn bùkě jiāndé shí jiù yào qǔshě.
Health is what I want; wealth is also what I want - but when both cannot be had, a choice must be made.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·告子上》: 鱼,我所欲也,熊掌,亦我所欲也,二者不可得兼,舍鱼而取熊掌者也 (Fish I want; bear's paw I also want; if I cannot have both, I'll give up fish and take bear's paw). Mencius uses the pairing to introduce his central argument: 生,亦我所欲也;义,亦我所欲也 - and when life and righteousness conflict, one must sacrifice life for righteousness (舍生取义).
usage
is the classical sentence-final copula ('is/indeed'), not modern 'also.' here is the classical 'also.' Modern quotes of this line often set up a rhetorical choice between two goods.

Stroke Order

suǒ