📖 Meaning
The highest sages are beyond the sway of emotion. It describes someone who has transcended worldly passions and attachments, remaining calm and unmoved by sentiment. The phrase implies a level of spiritual cultivation so advanced that ordinary emotional entanglements no longer apply.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from 'A New Account of the Tales of the World' (世说新语) by Liu Yiqing of the Southern Dynasties Song period. In the chapter 'Grieving for the Departed,' the text states that sages forget emotion, while the lowest of people never even reach the point of having emotion—those upon whom emotion truly concentrates are people like us. The remark reflects a literati view that ordinary humans feel deeply, whereas enlightened sages rise above all passion.
💡 Example Usage
他修禅多年，已近太上忘情之境，世间悲欢皆难以动摇其心。
Having practiced Zen for many years, he has nearly reached the state where the highest sages forget emotion, and the joys and sorrows of the world can no longer move his heart.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 太上忘情
- Pinyin: tài shàng wàng qíng
- Literal Translation: supreme, above, forget, feeling
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4