The Joy Unchanged: Confucius’s Ode to Yan Hui’s Constant Happiness

Confucius said: Admirable was Yan Hui! With a single dish of rice and a gourd of drink in a poor lane, his joy remained unchanged.

Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui! With a single bamboo dish of rice, a single gourd dish of drink, and living in his mean narrow lane, while others could not have endured the distress, he did not allow his joy to be affected by it. Admirable indeed was the virtue of Hui!

贤哉回也!一箪食,一瓢饮,在陋巷。人不堪其忧,回也不改其乐。贤哉回也!

Source: The Analects, Yong Ye VI, Chapter 11

Author: Confucius

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