284Japanese proverb ことわざ
己の欲せざる所は人に施すことなかれ
おのれのほっせざるところはひとにほどこすことなかれOnore no hossezaru tokoro wa hito ni hodokosu koto nakare
“Do not do to others what you would not wish for yourself.”
The meaning
The simplest of moral compasses: consulting your own sensibility before acting on others'. It does not solve everything — it already avoids much.
At the origin
A saying from the Analects of Confucius, adopted by common Japanese morality.
The characters
- 己 onoreoneself
- の noof (link)
- 欲せざる hossezarunot desiring
- 所
- は
- 人
- に
- 施す
- こと
- なかれ
のParticleLinks two words: possession or belonging, like “of”.
In practice
Before a doubtful word or gesture, swap the roles for a second.
Editorial note
Classical Chinese origin (Analects of Confucius).