处江湖之远则忧其君

處江湖之遠則憂其君

chǔjiānghúzhīyuǎnzéyōuqíjūn

phrase

Meanings

1 when dwelling far from court in the rivers and lakes, still to worry for one's ruler
2 a scholar-official's loyalty transcends political favor or exile
3 (lit.) being at the distant rivers-and-lakes, then worrying about the lord

Characters

处

chǔ

to dwell / be situated

lake (江湖 = rivers and lakes / far from court)

之

zhī

(classical possessive)

Examples

虽然退隐乡间，他依然处江湖之远则忧其君，心系国事。

Suīrán tuìyǐn xiāngjiān, tā yīrán chǔ jiānghú zhī yuǎn zé yōu qí jūn, xīn xì guóshì.

Though retired to the countryside, he still worried for his ruler from afar, his heart tied to affairs of state.

范仲淹写处江湖之远则忧其君，表达了士大夫的担当。

Fàn Zhòngyān xiě chǔ jiānghú zhī yuǎn zé yōu qí jūn, biǎodá le shìdàfū de dāndāng.

Fan Zhongyan wrote 'far from court, still worried for the ruler' — expressing the scholar-official's sense of duty.

Tips

history

From Fan Zhongyan's (范仲淹, Northern Song) 《岳阳楼记》: 居庙堂之高则忧其民，处江湖之远则忧其君。(Seated high in the temple-halls, one worries for the people; dwelling far in the rivers-and-lakes, one worries for the ruler.) The essay defines the ideal 士大夫 ethic; its even more famous conclusion is 先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐.

usage

江湖 here is classical 'far from the capital,' not modern wuxia 'martial underworld.' Always paired with 居庙堂之高则忧其民.

Stroke Order

处 chù

江 jiāng

湖 hú

之 zhī

远 yuǎn

则 zé

忧 yōu

其 qí

君 jūn