Listen to this articleɡuǎyù 寡欲
Restraining Desires
减少对外物的过度欲求。“欲”主要指人为外物所感而产生的欲求。人容易陷入对外物的过度追求中，从而造成对自身生命的伤害，同时也会带来人与人之间的纷争与社会秩序的混乱。因此儒家和道家都主张“寡欲”。儒家认为，应通过道德的培养来节制欲望，同时，“寡欲”也是确立内在德性的重要手段。道家则强调，“寡欲”有助于人们回归“自然”的状态。
The term means to lessen desires for external things. Humans are prone to pursue excessive desire, which can be harmful to themselves, cause problems with others and lead to social disorder. This is why both Confucian and Taoist scholars called for restraining desires. In Confucian thinking, self-moral cultivation is needed to restrain desires, which, in turn, provides an important way to foster one’s virtue. For Taoism, restraining desires can help people return to “a natural state.”
引例 Citation：
◎孟子曰：“养心莫善于寡欲。其为人也寡欲，虽有不存焉者，寡矣；其为人也多欲，虽有存焉者，寡矣。”（《孟子·尽心下》）
（孟子说：“修养心性没有比寡欲更好的方式了。一个人如果寡欲，其善性即使有所缺失，缺失也会较少；一个人如果多欲，其善性即使有所保存，保存的也会较少。”）
Mencius said, “The best way to conduct self-cultivation is to restrain desire. A person with few desires may be lacking in virtue, but such loss in limited; a person with many desires may still retain some virtue, but will lose much of it.” (Mencius)
◎绝圣弃智，民利百倍；绝仁弃义，民复孝慈；绝巧弃利，盗贼无有。此三者，以为文不足，故令有所属，见素抱朴，少私寡欲。（《老子·十九章》）
（抛弃圣明与智慧，民众可以得到百倍的好处；抛弃仁义道德，民众恢复自然的孝慈；抛弃巧诈和货利，盗贼就会消失。圣智、仁义、巧利都是不必要的文饰，不足以治理天下，因此要使民众有所归属，保持素朴，减少私欲。）
Cast aside saintliness and wisdom, and the people will benefit greatly; cast aside benevolence and righteousness, and the people will revert to their natural dutiful feelings; cast aside smartness and gain and thieves will disappear. Saintliness and wisdom, benevolence and righteousness, and smartness and gain are all unnecessary embellishments and are inadequate for governance. People must return to their natural state and restrain their desire. (Laozi)
