不患寡而患不均

Chinese

		not; no	misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble; danger; worry; to contract (a disease)	few; widowed	and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)	misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble; danger; worry; to contract (a disease)	uneven; unequal
trad. (不患寡而患不均)		不	患	寡	而	患	不均
simp. #(不患寡而患不均)		不	患	寡	而	患	不均

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 16 (《論語·季氏》):

孔子曰：「……丘也聞有國有家者，不患寡而患不均，不患貧而患不安。……」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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孔子曰：「……丘也闻有国有家者，不患寡而患不均，不患贫而患不安。……」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Kǒng Zǐ yuē: “...... Qiū yě wén yǒu guó yǒu jiā zhě, bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjūn, bù huàn pín ér huàn bù'ān.......” [Pinyin]

Confucius said. "… I have heard that rulers of states and chiefs of families are not troubled lest their people should be few, but are troubled lest they should not keep their several places; that they are not troubled with fears of poverty, but are troubled with fears of a want of contented repose among the people in their several places. …"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjūn

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄩㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bat¹ waan⁶ gwaa² ji⁴ waan⁶ bat¹ gwan¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjūn [Phonetic: bú huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjūn]
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄨˋ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄐㄩㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bùjyun
    • Wade–Giles: pu⁴ huan⁴ kua³ êrh² huan⁴ pu⁴-chün¹
    • Yale: bù hwàn gwǎ ér hwàn bù-jyūn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bu huann goa erl huann bujiun
    • Palladius: бу хуань гуа эр хуань буцзюнь (bu xuanʹ gua er xuanʹ buczjunʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xu̯än⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bat¹ waan⁶ gwaa² ji⁴ waan⁶ bat¹ gwan¹
    • Yale: bāt waahn gwá yìh waahn bāt gwān
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bat⁷ waan⁶ gwaa² ji⁴ waan⁶ bat⁷ gwan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: bed¹ wan⁶ gua² yi⁴ wan⁶ bed¹ guen¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐt̚⁵ waːn²² kʷaː³⁵ jiː²¹ waːn²² pɐt̚⁵ kʷɐn⁵⁵/

Proverb

不患寡而患不均

1. (of money, wealth etc.) Do not worry if there is not enough to go around, only worry if it is not evenly distributed (among the people).