己所不欲 (jǐ suǒ bú yù) — what you yourself do not want (first half of the Golden Rule proverb)

Definition

First half of the Confucian Golden Rule, literally 'what you yourself do not want' — always paired with 勿施于人 ('do not impose on others'). Treat it as a set phrase, not a normal verb.

verb
what you yourself do not want (first half of the Golden Rule proverb)

Examples

  • 己所不欲，。
    jǐ suǒ bú yù, Wù shī yú rén.
    Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself.
  • 己所不欲。
    Tā cháng yǐn yòng jǐ suǒ bú yù zhè jù huà lái tǎo lùn dào dé.
    He often quotes the phrase 'what you yourself do not want' to discuss morality.
  • 己所不欲，。
    jǐ suǒ bú yù De dào lǐ suī rán jiǎn dān, zuò qǐ lái què bù róng yì.
    The principle of 'what you yourself do not want' is simple, but putting it into practice is not easy.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The 己 shape is a picture of a silk rope used to bind objects.

Open 己 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù所suǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

所 pairs 斤, an axe, with 戶, which gives the sound hù; the old meaning was the sound of logging.

Open 所 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ欲yù
Same sound today

欲 is made of 谷, which supplies the sound, and 欠, which relates to the meaning.

Open 欲 →

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