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The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.

Confucius, The Analects

Philosophy

The story behind the card

The line is in Book 7 of the Analects, the recorded sayings of Confucius (551–479 BC), here in the 1861 translation by the Scottish scholar James Legge. ‘Superior man’ renders junzi, literally a ruler's son, a word for a nobleman; Confucius used it for anyone noble in character. The ‘mean man’ is the xiaoren, the ‘small person’. Elsewhere Confucius says the superior man's mind is set on what is right, the mean man's on gain: so one has nothing to fear, while the other always fears loss.

Türkçe oku
Üstün insan hâlinden hoşnut ve sakindir; küçük insan ise hep sıkıntı içindedir.
Konfüçyüs, Konuşmalar

Bu cümle, Konfüçyüs'ün (MÖ 551-479) sözlerini toplayan Konuşmalar'ın yedinci kitabında geçer. Karttaki biçimi, İskoç Çin uzmanı James Legge'nin 1861'de yaptığı İngilizce çeviriye dayanır. “Üstün insan” diye çevrilen junzi kelimesi kelimesine “hükümdar oğlu” demektir ve soylular için kullanılırdı; Konfüçyüs bu sözcüğü, karakteri soylu olan herkes için kullandı. Karşıtı xiaoren ise “küçük insan” demektir. Konfüçyüs başka bir yerde, üstün insanın aklının doğrulukta, küçük insanın aklının ise kazançta olduğunu söyler. Bu yüzden birinin korkacak bir şeyi yoktur, öteki ise hep kaybetmekten korkar.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Confucius
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