Chinese idioms from the Dao De Jing
少私寡欲 (shǎo sī guǎ yù)
Word for word from chapter 19
少私寡欲 (shǎo sī guǎ yù), “Lessen selfishness and reduce desire”, closes chapter 19 of the Dao De Jing and means to want less for oneself.
Character by character
| 少 | shǎo | few, to lessen |
|---|---|---|
| 私 | sī | self, private ends |
| 寡 | guǎ | few, to lessen |
| 欲 | yù | desire, to desire |
| 少私寡欲 | To be less selfish and to want less; a rule of self-discipline and plain living. | |
Where it comes from
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少私寡欲。
Lessen selfishness and reduce desire.
How the meaning moved
The four characters are the whole last line of chapter 19: “Lessen selfishness and reduce desire.” They complete the chapter's answer to its own question. Having said to give up sageliness, humaneness and cleverness, it admits that words are not enough and gives people something to hold on to: “look at the essence and embrace simplicity. Lessen selfishness and reduce desire.” The first pair is about what to keep, the second about what to let go: 私, what one wants for oneself, and 欲, desire.
The book says the same thing in many places. Chapter 3 keeps the people “without desire”, chapter 37 ends with desire stilled, and chapter 46 calls not knowing what is enough the greatest disaster. In chapter 19 the advice is for everyone, ruler and people alike. Today 少私寡欲 belongs to the language of self-cultivation and of public integrity: it is said to officials asked to stay clean, and to anyone trying to live with less.
Using it today
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做官的人要少私寡欲，才能经得起诱惑。
zuò guān de rén yào shǎo sī guǎ yù, cái néng jīng de qǐ yòu huò.
Officials must be unselfish and want little if they are to withstand temptation.
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她一向少私寡欲，把大部分收入都捐给了山区学校。
tā yī xiàng shǎo sī guǎ yù, bǎ dà bù fen shōu rù dōu juān gěi le shān qū xué xiào.
She has always wanted little for herself, and gave most of her income to schools in the mountains.