Out of Position, Out of Administration

不在其位不谋其政

已定稿

There is a saying taken from the Analects that we often hear :“out of position, out of administration”, which has a deep truth in this saying.

有一句摘自论语，大家也经常听到的话：“不在其位，不谋其政”。这句话是有很深的道理的。

Why say "out of position, out of administration"? Because you are not in this position, you do not know the overall situation and specific details of this position, and its various aspects of the complex relationship. You’re self-righteous and make a speculative comment, unaware of the development stage and difficulties of the situation. What you see is a superficial situation. You come up with a certain plan, this is more of a hindrance than a help, this is a waste of time, a waste of life.

为什么说“不在其位 不谋其政呢” ？因为你不在这个位置上，不知道这个位置上的总体情况和具体细节，及其方方面面复杂的关系，不知道事态所处的发展阶段及其困难之处，你就自以为是，乱加评论。你不知道内情，你从外面看看到的都是表面情况，你就帮他出谋划策，这是在帮倒忙，浪费时间，浪费生命。

It is only when you are "in this position" and have a overall understanding of the relationship and the specific situation,
"know yourself and your enemy", then you are able to"make the right decisions".

你只有“在其位”——在这个位置上 全面了解上下的关系、具体的情况 “知己知彼” 你才能够“谋其政”。

So, from now on, we won't need to go into nonsense, don't judge, criticize, or find faults with others, don't go telling them they should do this or that. It is easier said than done. An outsider cannot see as clearly as those involved how difficult, tricky, and complicated things are.

所以，以后我们就不需要去乱废话了，不要去评价别人做得怎么样，不要去挑别人的毛病，不要去说别人应该这样、应该那样，不在其位的旁观者说起来轻松容易，其实，你不知道在其位者哪里有困难、哪里出了问题，你不知道他的艰难，不知道事态是何等的错综复杂。

There are many complicated things in the world, we don't have the ability or the energy to manage them. Let's stay out of other people's business and better mind on our own, get it right and clear. First of all, you need to be clear about where you are and what stage of development you are in as well as the trend lying behind. By correctly judging future trends, knowing yourself and your enemy, you can do a good job.

天下的事很多 也很复杂 我们没有那个能力 也没有那个精力去管。我们不要去管别人的事 要做好自己的事 把自己搞清楚。你首先要清楚自己在什么位置上，然后要全面了解所做的事情正处在什么样的发展阶段，正确判断未来的发展趋势，做到知己知彼，你就能做好自己的事。

Although this is a plain truth, people rarely put it into practice in life. This world is full of people who are not in their positions but like to be involved in their politics. Are you one of those who often take the thankless job?

这个道理，其实大家也都容易理解，但是做起来却很难。这个世界到处都有不在其位，好谋其政的人。请问，您是否也经常干这种吃力不讨好的错事呢？！

备注
翻译：Koala
审稿：Nina