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不患贫而患不安

不患貧而患不安
bù huàn pín ér huàn bù'ān
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 worry not about poverty but about instability
  2. 2 distribution (equity) and social peace matter more than absolute wealth
  3. 3 lit. do not fret poverty but fret unrest

Examples

HSK 7-9
孔子说不患贫而患不安，治理国家首先要社会稳定。
Kǒngzǐ shuō bù huàn pín ér huàn bù'ān, zhìlǐ guójiā shǒuxiān yào shèhuì wěndìng.
Confucius said 'worry not about poverty but about unrest' - governing begins with social stability.
HSK 7-9
这句不患贫而患不安常被引用来讨论贫富差距问题。
Zhè jù bù huàn pín ér huàn bù'ān cháng bèi yǐnyòng lái tǎolùn pínfù chājù wèntí.
The line 'worry not about poverty but about unrest' is often cited in debates on wealth inequality.

Tips

history
From 《论语·季氏》: 不患寡而患不均，不患贫而患不安。盖均无贫，和无寡，安无倾 (Worry not about scarcity but about unequal distribution; worry not about poverty but about unrest. For with equal distribution there is no poverty, with harmony no scarcity, with stability no overthrow). Confucius's classic statement of distributive justice, routinely quoted by Chinese policymakers when discussing 共同富裕 (common prosperity).
usage
Almost always paired with the preceding 不患寡而患不均. 患 here = 'to worry about,' not 'disease.' The whole passage is the locus classicus for Confucian political economy.

Stroke Order

不 bù
患 huàn
贫 pín
而 ér
安 ān