天tiān下xià熙xī熙xī皆jiē為wéi利lì來lái,，天tiān下xià攘rǎng攘rǎng皆jiē為wéi利lì往wǎng

What does 天下熙熙皆為利來，天下攘攘皆為利往 (tiān xià xī xī jiē wéi lì lái, tiān xià rǎng rǎng jiē wéi lì wǎng) mean?

天下熙熙皆為利來，天下攘攘皆為利往 (tiān xià xī xī jiē wéi lì lái, tiān xià rǎng rǎng jiē wéi lì wǎng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "All the world's bustle is for profit coming; all the world's hustle is for profit going." In use it means: The fundamental driver of human activity in markets and society is economic self-interest. People gather where there is gain and leave when it dries up. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.

Literally: "All the world's bustle is for profit coming; all the world's hustle is for profit going.."

The reading

Sima Qian wrote this watching the markets of ancient China and saw a truth that has not aged a single day. Commerce is the great equalizer: scholars, soldiers, and farmers all respond to the pull of profit. There is no judgment in this observation, only the clear sight of a historian who watched empires rise and fall on trade routes. Understanding that interest drives behavior is the beginning of all commercial wisdom. To work with this current rather than against it is the art of the marketplace.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeshīcí 詩詞
• FocusLooks back
• Element金 Metal
• Zodiac tie馬 Year of the Horse

Source Sima Qian (司馬遷), Records of the Grand Historian (史記), Chapter 129: Biographies of the Money-Makers (貨殖列傳)

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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.