【Idiom】
Seven Emotions and Six Desires
【Pinyin】
qī qíng liù yù
【Definition】
Seven emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, desire. Six desires: life, death, sight, hearing, taste, smell. Generally refers to human emotions and desires.
【Source】
From the “Book of Rites, Li Yun”: What is human emotion? Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, desire, these seven do not need to be learned. What is human righteousness? Fatherly kindness, filial piety of children, benevolence of brothers, respect of younger siblings, loyalty of husbands, obedience of wives, kindness of elders, obedience of juniors, benevolence of rulers, loyalty of subjects, these ten are called human righteousness. Mutual trust and harmony are called human benefits; competition and killing are called human calamities.
Explanation: “What is human emotion? Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, desire, these seven emotions are innate and do not require learning. What is human righteousness? Fatherly kindness, filial piety, benevolence, respect, loyalty, obedience, kindness, and loyalty, these ten points are called human righteousness. Mutual trust and harmony are called human benefits; competition and killing are called human calamities.【Synonyms】
Five Emotions and Six Desires
【Antonyms】
Emptiness of All Four
【Usage】
Used as a subject or object to describe human emotions.
【Idiom Story】
Seven Emotions and Six Desires refer to the innate psychological responses of humans. Different schools of thought, sects, and religions have slightly different definitions of the seven emotions and six desires. However, all agree that these emotions and desires are inevitable. Generally, the six desires are: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thought; the seven emotions are: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, and desire.
Seven Emotions and Six Desires are human instincts, the internal factors driving daily struggles. Without them, one would either become a walking corpse or a vegetative state; or become a deity or ghost. The seven emotions and six desires influence one’s character, quality of life, and path; the type of person one becomes depends on the degree of control over these emotions and desires. Initially, ancient texts only mentioned four emotions, as seen in the “Doctrine of the Mean” which states “joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.” Later interpretations suggest that when one encounters what they like, they feel “joy”; when faced with what they dislike, they feel “anger”; when they gain what they love, they feel “happiness”; and when they lose what they love, they feel “sorrow.” The “Book of Rites, Li Yun” states: “Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, desire, these seven do not need to be learned.” It is evident that emotions are the expressions or psychological activities of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, while desires are one of the seven emotions. As for the concept of “six desires,” it is simpler, originally derived from the “Records of the Grand Historian”. It states: “What is called full life, is when all six desires are appropriately satisfied.” This means that a “fully alive” person has all six desires adequately fulfilled. The term “full life” refers to the highest state of personal cultivation. The ancient texts did not specify what the “six desires” include, but later interpretations suggested they are “life, death, sight, hearing, taste, smell,” which generally refer to various human desires. Later, these were summarized as “sight desire, hearing desire, smell desire, taste desire, touch desire, thought desire,” indicating that the six desires refer to the innate physiological needs or desires of humans.
【Example Sentences】
Shouldn’t he have seven emotions and six desires? Is he not different from you and me? Does he not have the right to enjoy everything we are enjoying? Shouldn’t love belong to him?