小人常戚戚

xiǎorén cháng qīqī

quotation

Meanings

1 the petty man is always fretful and anxious
2 (fig.) the small-minded live in constant worry, unlike the composed gentleman
3 (lit.) petty-man constantly sorrow-sorrow

Characters

person (小人 = petty man)

always / constantly

Examples

HSK 7-9

君子坦荡荡，小人常戚戚，心胸决定境界。

Jūnzǐ tǎndàngdàng, xiǎorén cháng qīqī, xīnxiōng juédìng jìngjiè.

'The gentleman is open and at ease; the petty man is always fretful', one's breadth of mind determines one's standing.

HSK 7-9

他遇事就焦虑不安，真应了小人常戚戚那句话。

Tā yù shì jiù jiāolǜ-bù'ān, zhēn yìng le xiǎorén cháng qīqī nà jù huà.

He frets at every little thing, truly fitting the saying 'the petty man is always anxious.'

Tips

history

From 《论语·述而》 (Analects of Confucius, book 7): 子曰：君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚 (The Master said: The gentleman is calm and at ease; the petty man is always anxious and worried). One of Confucius's most cited character contrasts, shaping two millennia of Chinese moral vocabulary.

usage

Always quoted as the pair 君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚, the two halves form a chiastic contrast. Some editions write 长戚戚 rather than 常戚戚; meanings are the same (long/always). 戚戚 = sorrowful / uneasy (reduplication).

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo

人 rén

常 cháng

戚 qī