諺語 · a single proverb
人無遠慮，必有近憂
Simplified: 人无远虑，必有近忧
What does 人無遠慮，必有近憂 (rén wú yuǎn lǜ bì yǒu jìn yōu) mean?
人無遠慮，必有近憂 (rén wú yuǎn lǜ bì yǒu jìn yōu) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a person without long-range plans will inevitably have near-term worries." In use it means: Failure to plan for the future creates problems in the present; long-range thinking prevents short-range crises. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "a person without long-range plans will inevitably have near-term worries."
The reading
The worry that arrives today was usually planted some time ago by an absence of thought. The person who spent last spring thinking about winter does not scramble in November. The one who did not think about it does-and calls it bad luck.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Analects 論語, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong 衛靈公, ch. 12)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 人無遠慮，必有近憂 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人無遠慮，必有近憂 (rén wú yuǎn lǜ bì yǒu jìn yōu) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Analects 論語, Book 15 (Wei Ling Gong 衛靈公, ch. 12). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 人無遠慮，必有近憂?
In Mandarin it is rén wú yuǎn lǜ bì yǒu jìn yōu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人無遠慮，必有近憂 aloud in Mandarin.