Hunger, Thirst, and the Heart

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孟（mèng）子（zǐ）曰（yuē）：（）“（）饥（jī）者（zhě）甘（gān）食（shí），（）渴（kě）者（zhě）甘（gān）饮（yǐn），（）是（shì）未（wèi）得（dé）饮（yǐn）食（shí）之（zhī）正（zhèng）也（yě），（）饥（jī）渴（kě）害（hài）之（zhī）也（yě）。（）岂（qǐ）惟（wéi）口（kǒu）腹（fù）有（yǒu）饥（jī）渴（kě）之（zhī）害（hài）？（）人（rén）心（xīn）亦（yì）皆（jiē）有（yǒu）害（hài）。（）人（rén）能（néng）无（wú）以（yǐ）饥（jī）渴（kě）之（zhī）害（hài）为（wèi）心（xīn）害（hài），（）则（zé）不（bù）及（jí）人（rén）不（bù）为（wèi）忧（yōu）矣（yǐ）。（）”（）

Mencius said, “The hungry find any food delicious, and the thirsty find any drink delicious; they have not tasted food and drink in their proper measure, because hunger and thirst distort their judgment. Is it only the mouth and belly that suffer from such deprivation? The mind too is subject to harms. If one does not let these deprivations damage the mind, there is no need to worry about temporarily falling short of others.”

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Hunger, Thirst, and the Heart

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