先天下之忧而忧

先天下之憂而憂

xiān tiānxià zhī yōu ér yōu

quotation #73,324

Meanings

1 to worry about the world's troubles before anyone else worries
2 to put the country's concerns before one's own

Characters

under (天下 = the world)

and (classical)

Examples

共产党员应该先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐。

Gòngchǎndǎngyuán yīnggāi xiāntiānxiàzhīyōu'éryōu, hòutiānxiàzhīlè'érlè.

A Party member should worry about the nation's troubles before others and rejoice in its joys after others.

他是一位先天下之忧而忧的知识分子。

Tā shì yī wèi xiāntiānxiàzhīyōu'éryōu de zhīshi fènzǐ.

He is the kind of intellectual who takes on the world's worries before anyone else.

Tips

history

From Fan Zhongyan's (范仲淹) 《岳阳楼记》 (Account of Yueyang Tower, Song dynasty): 先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐 — 'To feel the world's sorrows before the world, and the world's joys after it.' The defining statement of the Confucian scholar-official's duty; one of the most famous lines in all Chinese prose.

usage

Almost always appears together with its pair 后天下之乐而乐. Used in speeches about public service, civic duty, and selfless leadership.

Stroke Order

先 xiān

天 tiān

下 xià

之 zhī

忧 yōu

而 ér