Editing Schadenfreude (section)

== Literary usage and philosophical analysis ==
The Biblical [[Book of Proverbs]] mentions an emotion similar to schadenfreude: "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." (Proverbs 24:17–18, [[King James Version]]).

In [[East Asia]], the emotion of feeling joy from seeing the hardship of others was described as early as late 4th century BCE.  The phrase {{lang|zh-Latn|Xing zai le huo}} ({{lang-zh|[[:zh:幸災樂禍|幸災樂禍]]}}) first appeared separately as {{lang|zh-Latn|xing zai}} ({{lang|zh|幸災}}), meaning the feeling of joy from seeing the hardship of others,<ref name="中華民國教育部">{{Cite web|title=幸災樂禍|url=http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000111179|author=中華民國教育部|work=dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cbdic/search.htm|accessdate=2021-03-07|language=zh}}</ref> and {{lang|zh-Latn|le huo}} ({{lang|zh|樂禍}}), meaning the happiness derived from the unfortunate situation of others,<ref>{{Cite web|title=樂禍|url=http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000059406|author=中華民國教育部|work=dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cbdic/search.htm|accessdate=2021-03-07|language=zh}}</ref> in the ancient Chinese text {{lang|zh-Latn|[[Zuo zhuan]]}} ({{lang|zh|[[:zh:左傳|左傳]]}}).  The ''[[chengyu]]'' {{lang|zh-Latn|xing zai le huo}} ({{lang|zh|[[:zh:幸災樂禍|幸災樂禍]]}}) is still used among Chinese speakers.<ref name="中華民國教育部"/>

In Japanese, the saying {{nihongo|''hito no fukō wa mitsu no aji''|人の不幸は蜜の味||{{lit|another's misfortune is sweet as honey}}}} exemplifies ''schadenfreude''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/67527 | title=他人の不幸を喜ぶ感情「シャーデンフロイデ」度の測り方 &#124; Forbes JAPAN 公式サイト（フォーブス ジャパン） }}</ref>

In the ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]'', [[Aristotle]] used ''epikhairekakia'' (ἐπιχαιρεκακία in Greek) as part of a triad of terms, in which ''epikhairekakia'' stands as the opposite of ''[[phthonos]]'' (φθόνος), and ''[[Archenemy|nemesis]]'' (νέμεσις) occupies the mean. ''Nemesis'' is "a painful response to another's undeserved good fortune", while ''phthonos'' is a painful response to any good fortune of another, deserved or not. The ''epikhairekakos'' (ἐπιχαιρέκακος) person takes pleasure in another's ill fortune.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pedrick |first=Victoria |author2=Oberhelman, Steven M. |year=2006 |title=The Soul of Tragedy: Essays on Athenian Drama |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago, IL |isbn=978-0-226-65306-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/souloftragedyess00vict }}</ref><ref>[[s:Page:The ethics of Aristotle.djvu/68|''Nicomachean Ethics'', 2.7.1108b1-10]]</ref>

[[Lucretius]] characterises the emotion in an extended [[simile]] in ''[[De rerum natura]]'': ''Suave, mari magno turbantibus aequora ventis, e terra magnum alterius spectare laborem'', "It is pleasant to watch from the land the great struggle of someone else in a sea rendered great by turbulent winds." The abbreviated [[List of Latin phrases|Latin tag]] ''suave mare magno'' recalled the passage to generations familiar with the Latin classics.<ref>[[Patrick O'Brian]]'s usage of the tag in his Aubrey-Maturin historical novels is reflected in Dean King's companion lexicon ''A Sea of Words'' (3rd ed.2000).</ref>

[[Caesarius of Heisterbach]] regards "delight in the adversity of a neighbour" as one of the "daughters of envy... which follows anger" in his ''Dialogue on Miracles''.<ref>''Dialogus miraculorum'', IV, 23.</ref>

During the [[17th century philosophy|seventeenth century]], [[Robert Burton (scholar)|Robert Burton]] wrote:

{{blockquote|Out of these two [the concupiscible and irascible powers] arise those mixed affections and passions of [[anger]], which is a desire of [[revenge]]; hatred, which is inveterate anger; zeal, which is offended with him who hurts that he loves; and {{lang|el|ἐπιχαιρεκακία}}, a compound affection of joy and hate, when we rejoice at other men's mischief, and are grieved at their prosperity; [[pride]], [[self-love]], emulation, envy, [[shame]], [etc.], of which elsewhere.|source=''[[The Anatomy of Melancholy]]''<ref>{{cite book |year=1621 |title=The Anatomy of Melancholy |author=Robert Burton |at=t. 1, sect. 1, memb. 2, subsect. 8}}</ref>}}

The philosopher [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] mentioned schadenfreude as the most evil sin of human feeling, famously saying "To feel envy is human, to savor schadenfreude is diabolic."<ref name="Schopenhauer1860">{{cite book|author=Arthur Schopenhauer|title=Grudlage der Moral|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55cCAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA200|year=1860|publisher=Brockhaus|page=200}}</ref><ref name="Lüthe2017">{{cite book|author=Rudolf Lüthe|title=Heitere Aufklärung: Philosophische Untersuchungen zum Verhältnis von Komik, Skepsis und Humor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RdLDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39|year=2017|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-643-13895-8|pages=38–39}}</ref>

The song "Schadenfreude"{{Reasonator|Q110136555}} in the musical ''[[Avenue Q]]'', is a comedic exploration of the general public's relationship with the emotion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/Natalie-venetia-belcon-and-rick-lyon-schadenfreude-lyrics|title=Natalie Venetia Belcon & Rick Lyon – Schadenfreude|via=genius.com}}</ref>

Rabbi [[Harold S. Kushner]] in his book ''[[When Bad Things Happen to Good People]]'' describes schadenfreude as a universal, even wholesome reaction that cannot be helped. "There is a German psychological term, ''Schadenfreude'', which refers to the embarrassing reaction of relief we feel when something bad happens to someone else instead of to us." He gives examples and writes, "[People] don't wish their friends ill, but they can't help feeling an embarrassing spasm of gratitude that [the bad thing] happened to someone else and not to them."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kushner |first1=Harold S. |chapter=There is a German psychological term, ''Schadenfreude'' |chapter-url={{Google books|4pA55BZ2GtwC|page=44|plainurl=yes}} |page=44 |title=When Bad Things Happen to Good People |title-link=When Bad Things Happen to Good People |date=2004 |publisher=Anchor Books |isbn=978-1-4000-3472-7 }}</ref>

[[Susan Sontag]]'s book ''[[Regarding the Pain of Others]]'', published in 2003, is a study of the issue of how the pain and misfortune of some people affects others, namely whether [[war photography]] and [[War art|war paintings]] may be helpful as anti-war tools, or whether they only serve some sense of schadenfreude in some viewers.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

[[Philosopher]] and [[sociologist]] [[Theodor Adorno]] defined schadenfreude as "... largely unanticipated delight in the suffering of another, which is cognized as trivial and/or appropriate."<ref>Cited in {{cite book |author=Portmann, John |title=When bad things happen to other people |url=https://archive.org/details/whenbadthingshap0000port |url-access=registration |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-415-92335-4 }}{{page needed|date=May 2020}}</ref>

Schadenfreude is steadily becoming a more popular word according to Google.<ref>https://www.wordgenius.com/all-words/schadenfreude WordGenius.com August 13, 2019</ref>