《Caigentan (菜根譚) – Complete Works | Former Collection》 #6 [006]

📖 Chaegeundam (Vegetable Roots Discourse) – Volume I, No. 006

Even the Sky Needs a Clear Day, and the Heart Needs a Moment of Joy

📜  Original Text

怒雨疾風, 禽鳥戚戚; 霽日光風, 草木欣欣。
可見天地不可一日無和氣, 人心不可一日無喜神。



📚 Translation

When angry rain and fierce winds rage, birds fall silent in sorrow.
But when the skies clear and soft sunlight returns, grasses and trees come alive with joy.
From this, we see that the world cannot endure a day without harmony,
and the human heart cannot endure a day without the spirit of joy.



🪶 Hanja (Chinese Character) Definitions

• 怒 (nù): to be angry, to rage.
• 雨 (yǔ): rain.
• 怒雨 (nù yǔ): rain pouring down furiously, like an angry rain.
• 疾 (jí): fast, rapid.
• 風 (fēng): wind.
• 疾風 (jí fēng): a rapidly blowing wind, a fierce wind.
• 禽 (qín): fowl, bird.
• 鳥 (niǎo): bird.
• 禽鳥 (qín niǎo): birds, fowl.
• 戚 (qī): to worry, to be sad.
• 戚戚 (qī qī): appearance of being sad and worried.
• 霽 (jì): (rain or fog, etc.) to clear up.
• 日 (rì): sun, day.
• 霽日 (jì rì): a clear day after rain, a clear day.
• 光 (guāng): light.
• 風 (fēng): wind.
• 光風 (guāng fēng): warm and bright wind.
• 草 (cǎo): grass.
• 木 (mù): tree.
• 欣 (xīn): to be happy, to be joyful.
• 欣欣 (xīn xīn): appearance of being happy and full of vitality.
• 可 (kě): able to, worthy of.
• 見 (jiàn): to see, to appear.
• 可見 (kě jiàn): it can be seen that, it can be understood that, to infer from.
    → A connective expression used to draw a conclusion based on the preceding sentence.
• 天地 (tiān dì): heaven and earth, referring to the entire natural world.
• 不可 (bù kě): must not, cannot.
• 一日 (yī rì): even a single day, not even one day.
• 無 (wú): without.
• 和 (hé): harmonious, gentle.
• 氣 (qì): spirit, atmosphere
• 和氣 (hé qì): a gentle atmosphere, warm current, gentle and harmonious energy.
• 人 (rén): person.
• 心 (xīn): heart, mind.
• 人心 (rén xīn): the human heart/mind.
• 喜 (xǐ): happy.
• 神 (shén): spirit, energy.
• 喜神 (xǐ shén): god of joy, meaning a bright energy symbolizing joy, a state of joyful mind, a bright and pleasant spirit.
• 天 (tiān): sky, heaven.
• 地 (dì): ground, earth.
• 不 (bù): not, unable to.




🔍  Explanation

This passage reflects on the deep connection and mirroring between the natural world and the human heart.
When violent winds and pounding rain strike, even birds and beasts grow anxious and retreat.
But once the storm passes and gentle sunlight returns, trees and grasses revive with fresh energy and joy.
Nature flourishes in harmony—and so, too, does the human spirit.

If the world suffers in the absence of gentle air and balance,
so too do we suffer when our hearts are deprived of warmth and joy.
It is not simply about feeling happy—it is about cultivating an inner brightness,
a spirit that nurtures resilience and allows life to flourish, even in difficult times.

Chaegeundam teaches that joy is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Just as nature cannot thrive without harmony,
we too must safeguard the quiet warmth within us to live fully and well.



📌 One-Line Summary

Joy and delight are not indulgences—they are the sunlight that sustains life.