xiān​tiān​xià​zhī​yōu'ér​yōu​hòu​tiān​xià​zhī​lè'ér​lè

to care first and enjoy last

Senses

先天下之忧而忧,后天下之乐而乐/ 先天下之憂而憂,後天下之樂而樂 xiān​tiān​xià​zhī​yōu'ér​yōu​hòu​tiān​xià​zhī​lè'ér​lè to care first and enjoy last

To be the first to worry about the affairs of the state and the last to enjoy oneself; originally a quote from the Song dynasty writer 范仲淹 fàn​zhòng​yān in his essay 岳阳楼记 yuè​yáng​lóu​jì expressing self-sacrifice for the public good.

References

No references for this word.