When people have desires, their calculations become confused. Confused calculations intensify desires; intense desires let evil hearts prevail. Prevailing evil hearts break proper conduct, and broken conduct brings misfortune.
Thus misfortune springs from evil hearts, which are tempted by desirable things. Such things incite good commoners to wickedness and bring disaster to virtuous people. Wickedness weakens rulers above; disaster harms people below. Hence desirable things harm both rulers and people, a great crime.
Therefore the saying: “No misfortune is greater than tempting desires.”
Hence sages resist colorful sights and indulge not in music; wise rulers disdain luxuries and abandon extravagance.
Humans have no feathers; without clothing they cannot endure cold. Not attached to heaven above or earth below, they rely on stomach and intestines to live and cannot survive without food. Thus the desire for benefit is inescapable. Unremoved desire for benefit brings lifelong worry. Therefore sages wear clothes only against cold and eat only to fill hunger, free from anxiety.
Ordinary people differ: whether great feudal lords or wealthy commoners with thousands of gold, their craving‑worries never end. Convicted laborers may be pardoned, death‑sentenced prisoners may survive occasionally, yet the worry of insatiable people never fades all life long. Hence: “No misfortune is greater than insatiability.”
Excessive craving for benefit breeds worry, which brings illness. Illness weakens wisdom; weakened wisdom loses judgment; lost judgment causes reckless conduct; reckless conduct invites disaster. Disaster brings internal sickness, which brings external suffering. Suffering mixed inside wounds people deeply, leading to self‑blame. Self‑blame arises from craving for gain. Hence: “No regret is more bitter than craving for benefit.”
Note
This passage establishes a fundamental moral‑political rule: uncontrolled desire, insatiability and craving for profit cause personal suffering and social chaos; contentment and restraint are essential for self‑preservation and good governance.
Late Warring‑States Legalist philosopher. This passage is from Explaining Laozi (Jie Lao), his commentary on the Dao De Jing. He expands Daoist three‑fold warnings about desire into psychological‑political analysis of self‑harm and state chaos.
Three Warnings of Desire
From the Dao De Jing: greatest misfortune from tempting desires, from insatiability, and bitterest regret from craving profit. Han Fei links them in a causal chain.
Desire‑Chaos Logic
Desire → evil mind → reckless action → personal illness + political disorder, uniting individual health and national governance.
Sage‑Ordinary People Contrast
Sages practice frugality and contentment; commoners suffer lifelong anxiety from endless craving, a moral‑political standard for rulers and subjects.
人有欲則計會亂，計會亂而有欲甚，有欲甚則邪心勝，邪心勝則事經絕，事經絕則禍難生。由是觀之，禍難生於邪心，邪心誘於可欲。可欲之類，進則教良民為姦，退則令善人有禍。姦起則上侵弱君，禍至則民人多傷。然則可欲之類，上侵弱君而下傷人民。夫上侵弱君而下傷人民者，大罪也。故曰：「禍莫大於可欲。」是以聖人不引五色，不淫於聲樂，明君賤玩好而去淫麗。人無毛羽，不衣則不犯寒。上不屬天，而下不著地，以腸胃為根本，不食則不能活。是以不免於欲利之心，欲利之心不除，其身之憂也。故聖人衣足以犯寒，食足以充虛，則不憂矣。眾人則不然，大為諸侯，小餘千金之資，其欲得之憂不除也，胥靡有免，死罪時活，今不知足者之憂，終身不解，故曰：「禍莫大於不知足。」故欲利甚於憂，憂則疾生，疾生而智慧衰，智慧衰則失度量，失度量則妄舉動，妄舉動則禍害至，禍害至而疾嬰內，疾嬰內則痛禍薄外，痛禍薄外則苦痛雜於腸胃之間，苦痛雜於腸胃之間則傷人也憯，憯則退而自咎，退而自咎也生於欲利，故曰：「咎莫憯於欲利。」
Leave a Reply