夫三年之喪，天下之通喪也

Chinese

		husband; man	three	year	's; him/her/it; this	lose (by death); mourning; funeral		under heaven; the world; everything under the sky under heaven; the world; everything under the sky; all under heaven	's; him/her/it; this		also; too
trad. (夫三年之喪，天下之通喪也)		夫	三	年	之	喪	，	天下	之	通喪	也
simp. (夫三年之丧，天下之通丧也)		夫	三	年	之	丧	，	天下	之	通丧	也
Literally: “The three years' mourning is the common funeral rite of all under Heaven”.

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 17 (《論語·陽貨》):

宰我問：「三年之喪，期已久矣。君子三年不為禮，禮必壞；三年不為樂，樂必崩。舊穀既沒，新穀既升，鑽燧改火，期可已矣。」子曰：「食夫稻，衣夫錦，於女安乎？」曰：「安。」「女安則為之！夫君子之居喪，食旨不甘，聞樂不樂，居處不安，故不為也。今女安，則為之！」宰我出。子曰：「予之不仁也！子生三年，然後免於父母之懷。夫三年之喪，天下之通喪也。予也，有三年之愛於其父母乎？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

宰我问：「三年之丧，期已久矣。君子三年不为礼，礼必坏；三年不为乐，乐必崩。旧谷既没，新谷既升，钻燧改火，期可已矣。」子曰：「食夫稻，衣夫锦，于女安乎？」曰：「安。」「女安则为之！夫君子之居丧，食旨不甘，闻乐不乐，居处不安，故不为也。今女安，则为之！」宰我出。子曰：「予之不仁也！子生三年，然后免于父母之怀。夫三年之丧，天下之通丧也。予也，有三年之爱于其父母乎？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǎi Wǒ wèn: “Sān nián zhī sàng, qī yǐjiǔ yǐ. Jūnzǐ sān nián bùwèi lǐ, lǐ bì huài; sān nián bùwèi yuè, yuè bì bēng. Jiù gǔ jì méi, xīn gǔ jì shēng, zuàn suì gǎi huǒ, qī kě yǐ yǐ.” Zǐ yuē: “Shí fū dào, yī fū jǐn, yú nǚ ān hū?” Yuē: “Ān.” “Nǚ ān zé wèi zhī! Fū jūnzǐ zhī jūsàng, shí zhǐ bùgān, wén yuè bùyuè, jūchù bù'ān, gù bùwèi yě. Jīn nǚ ān, zé wèi zhī!” Zǎi Wǒ chū. Zǐ yuē: “Yǔ zhī bùrén yě! Zǐ shēng sān nián, ránhòu miǎn yú fùmǔ zhī huái. Fū sān nián zhī sàng, tiānxià zhī tōngsàng yě. Yǔ yě, yǒu sān nián zhī ài yú qí fùmǔ hū?” [Pinyin]

Zai Wo asked about the three years' mourning for parents, saying that one year was long enough. "If the superior man abstains for three years from the observances of propriety, those observances will be quite lost. If for three years he abstains from music, music will be ruined. Within a year the old grain is exhausted, and the new grain has sprung up, and, in procuring fire by friction, we go through all the changes of wood for that purpose. After a complete year, the mourning may stop." The Master said, "If you were, after a year, to eat good rice, and wear embroidered clothes, would you feel at ease?" "I should," replied Wo. The Master said, "If you can feel at ease, do it. But a superior man, during the whole period of mourning, does not enjoy pleasant food which he may eat, nor derive pleasure from music which he may hear. He also does not feel at ease, if he is comfortably lodged. Therefore he does not do what you propose. But now you feel at ease and may do it." Zai Wo then went out, and the Master said, "This shows Yu's want of virtue. It is not till a child is three years old that it is allowed to leave the arms of its parents. And the three years' mourning is universally observed throughout the empire. Did Yu enjoy the three years' love of his parents?"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fú sān nián zhī sāng, tiānxià zhī tōngsàng yě

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄨˊ ㄙㄢ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄓ ㄙㄤ , ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄓ ㄊㄨㄥ ㄙㄤˋ ㄧㄝˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): fu⁴ saam¹ nin⁴ zi¹ song¹, tin¹ haa⁶ zi¹ tung¹ song⁶ jaa⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: fú sān nián zhī sāng, tiānxià zhī tōngsàng yě
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄨˊ ㄙㄢ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄓ ㄙㄤ , ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄓ ㄊㄨㄥ ㄙㄤˋ ㄧㄝˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fú san nián jhih sang, tiansià jhih tongsàng yě
    • Wade–Giles: fu² san¹ nien² chih¹ sang¹, tʻien¹-hsia⁴ chih¹ tʻung¹-sang⁴ yeh³
    • Yale: fú sān nyán jr̄ sāng-, tyān-syà jr̄ tūng-sàng yě
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fwu san nian jy sang, tianshiah jy tongsanq yee
    • Palladius: фу сань нянь чжи сан, тянься чжи тунсан е (fu sanʹ njanʹ čži san, tjanʹsja čži tunsan je)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fu³⁵ sän⁵⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ sɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵ sɑŋ⁵¹ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: fu⁴ saam¹ nin⁴ zi¹ song¹, tin¹ haa⁶ zi¹ tung¹ song⁶ jaa⁵
    • Yale: fùh sāam nìhn jī sōng, tīn hah jī tūng sohng yáh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: fu⁴ saam¹ nin⁴ dzi¹ song¹, tin¹ haa⁶ dzi¹ tung¹ song⁶ jaa⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: fu⁴ sam¹ nin⁴ ji¹ song¹, tin¹ ha⁶ ji¹ tung¹ song⁶ ya⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fuː²¹ saːm⁵⁵ niːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ haː²² t͡siː⁵⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵ sɔːŋ²² jaː¹³/

Proverb

夫三年之喪，天下之通喪也

1. One should mourn one's parents for three years when they die

Derived terms

• 三年之喪／三年之丧 (sān nián zhī sāng)

 

References

• “夫三年之喪，天下之通喪也 [It Is a Common Funeral Rite in the Chinese Nation to Observe a Period of Mourning for One's Deceased Parent for Three Years]”, in Baidu Baike [Baidu Encyclopedia] (in Chinese) (wiki), 2023 August 31, retrieved January 9, 2024