“先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐”这句成语，摘自南宋文学家兼军事政治家范仲淹所著的《岳阳楼记》。
范仲淹少怀大志，想替国家做些工作，可是当他做参知政事的时候却因迭次奏请朝廷减轻赋税，整顿武备，选拔贤能，以及其他有利国计民生的建议，招受政敌的仇视。他们在宋仁宗帝前诽谤他，使他遭受贬谪，被迫离京，到遥远的地方邓州去做太守。同时他的好友滕子京也被贬到岳州做知州。
滕子京受到贬职，极为愤慨。范仲淹深恐他心境狭小，会惹出祸来，就想找个机会，规劝他要克制情感，小心谨慎，胸襟宽敞，免遭意外。
恰巧滕子京就职未久，由于他的才能，把岳州治得很好，人民都能安居乐业。滕子京觉得心境愉快，就想把陈旧的岳阳楼重新修建，扩大规模，恳请范仲淹写篇文章留作纪念。范仲淹抓住了这个好机会，在文章里暗暗规劝他。他指出：一个品格高尚的君子，不可因物而喜，和一般游山玩水的俗人一样；也不可因自己遭遇不幸而悲伤，和一般忧郁的诗人、被贬的官吏一样；而要以国事为重，处处想到国家和人民。因此他在这篇文章的末尾写道：
“唉！我所探索到的古人的心，与上述今日的游山玩水者和心境忧郁的诗人有所不同。高尚的人既不受环境的影响，也不受心境所左右。他若在厅堂庙宇供职，所关怀的应是人民的福利；虽与宫廷相隔山山水水，但仍关怀皇上的安危。所以他无论在职或在野，都满心忧虑。那么他什么时候才快乐呢？答案是：他应是先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐。唉，如果没有这样的人，我还有谁可做朋友呢？”
The idiom “To be the first to worry about the affairs of the state and the last to enjoy oneself!” is an excerpt from the Yueyang Pavilion written by Fan Zhongyan, a Chinese writer, strategist and statesman in Northern Song Dynasty.
Fan Zhongyan, with great ambition, wanted to do some work for the country. But when he was a political adviser, he was envied by his political enemies for repeatedly asking the court to reduce taxes, rectify military equipment, select talents and other suggestions which were beneficial to the national economy and peopled livelihood. They slandered him before Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, so that he was banished and forced to leave the capital and to be Taishou(similar to mayor in ancient China) of a remote place called Dengzhou. At the same time, his friend Teng Zijing was also demoted be Zhizhou(similar to mayor in ancient China) of Miezhou.
Being demoted, Teng Zijing felt very indignant. Afraid that Teng's narrow mind would make some troubles, Fan Zhongyan managed to find an opportunity to persuade him to control his feelings, be cautious and broad-minded , so as to avoid accidents.
It happened that although he was a new Zhizhou, Teng Zijing's governance over Miezhou is excellent, due to his talent. People there gained well-being. Teng Zijing felt delightful so he planned to rebuild the old Yueyang Pavilion to a larger one. He requested Fan Zhongyan to write an article to commemorate. Fan Zhongyan seized this opportunity and exhorted him tactfully in his article. He pointed out that a man of lofty mind are not supposed to be made happy by natural beauty like those common people who enjoy travelling in natural scenery, nor to be made sad by his own situation like those melancholic poets or demoted officials. Iastead, a man of lofty mind is supposed to attach great importance to state affairs and think of the country and the people all the time. So he wrote in the end of the passage.
“Ah! I have tried to study the minds of lofty ideals in ancient times. Perhaps they were different from the people I motion above. Why is this? The reason is that they were not thrown into ecstasies over their success, nor felt depressed over their failures. When they were in high position at court, they concerned about the people, when they were in remote place, they concerned about their emperor. They worried when they got promoted or when they were sent into exile. Then, when were they happy? They would say: ‘To be the first lo worry about the affairs of the state and the last to enjoy oneself!’ Oh, who else should I seek company with save them.”