患得患失

Chinese

misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble
misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble; danger; worry; to contract (a disease)
 
get; obtain; gain
get; obtain; gain; proper; suitable; proud; contented; allow; permit; ready; finished; a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect; degree or possibility; to have to; must; ought to; to need to
 
misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble
misfortune; suffer (from illness); trouble; danger; worry; to contract (a disease)
 
 to lose; to miss; to fail
simp. and trad.
(患得患失) 		患 得 患 失

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 17 (《論語·陽貨》):

子曰：「鄙夫！可與事君也與哉？其未得之也，患得之；既得之，患失之。苟患失之，無所不至矣。」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
子曰：「鄙夫！可与事君也与哉？其未得之也，患得之；既得之，患失之。苟患失之，无所不至矣。」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Zǐyuē: “Bǐ fū! Kě yǔ shì jūn yě yǔ zāi? Qí wèi dé zhī yě, huàn dé zhī; jì dé zhī, huàn shī zhī. Gǒu huàn shī zhī, wú suǒ bù zhì yǐ.” [Pinyin]
The Master said, "There are those mean creatures! How impossible it is along with them to serve one's prince! While they have not got their aims, their anxiety is how to get them. When they have got them, their anxiety is lest they should lose them. When they are anxious lest such things should be lost, there is nothing to which they will not proceed."

Pronunciation

Verb

患得患失

  1. to be mean; to be tight-fisted
  2. to be overcautious; to tend to avoid risks
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