废寝忘食 — “Neglect sleep and forget meals”

Confucius, whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a great thinker, politician, and educator of the late Spring and Autumn Period, and the founder of Confucianism.

In his old age, Confucius traveled among various states. When he was sixty-four, he arrived in Yeyi, a city in the state of Chu (near present-day Ye County, Henan). Shen Zhuliang, the Duke of Ye, warmly received Confucius.

Duke Ye, who had only heard that Confucius was a famous thinker, politician, and teacher of many excellent students, did not know Confucius personally very well. So, he asked Zilu, one of Confucius's disciples, about Confucius's character. Although Zilu had followed Confucius for many years, he was momentarily at a loss for how to answer and remained silent.

Later, when Confucius learned of this, he said to Zilu, "Why didn't you tell him: 'Confucius is a man who studies diligently without weariness, even forgetting to eat; he delights in imparting knowledge and spreading the Way, never worrying about poverty or hardship; he strives tirelessly, even forgetting his own age.'?"

Confucius's words revealed how profoundly fulfilled he was due to his lofty ideals.