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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
鱼，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，这是孟子著名的比喻。
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
健康是我想要的，财富亦我所欲也，但不可兼得时就要取舍。
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
也 is the classical sentence-final copula ('is/indeed'), not modern 'also.' 亦 here is the classical 'also.' Modern quotes of this line often set up a rhetorical choice between two goods.

Stroke Order

亦 yì
我 wǒ
所 suǒ
欲 yù
也 yě