Analects 11.23
The Analects (論語), BOOK XI. HSIEN TSIN 先進第十一
季子然問仲由冉求、可謂大臣與。子曰、吾以子爲異之問、曾由與求之問。所謂大臣者、以道事君、不可則止。今由與求也、可謂具臣矣。曰、然則從之者與。子曰、弒父與君、亦不從也。
1. Chi Tsze-zan asked whether Chung Yu and Zan Ch'iu could be called great ministers.
2. The Master said, "I thought you would ask about some extraordinary individuals, and you only ask about Yu and Ch'iu!
3. "What is called a great minister, is one who serves his prince according to what is right, and when he finds he cannot do so, retires.
4. "Now, as to Yu and Ch'iu, they may be called ordinary ministers."
5. Tsze-zan said, "Then they will always follow their chief;—will they?"
6. The Master said, "In an act of parricide or regicide, they would not follow him."
Character glossary
- 季jìa quarter-year, a season; surname
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 仲zhòngmiddle brother; go between, mediator; su
- 由yóucause, reason; from
- 冉rǎntender; weak; to proceed gradually
- 求qiúto seek; to request, to demand; to besee
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 臣chénminister, statesman, official, vassal
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 異yìdifferent, strange, unusual; foreign; su
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 曾céngalready, formerly, once; the past
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 止zhǐto stop, to halt; to detain; to desist
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 也yěalso, too
- 具jùtool, implement; to draw up, to write
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 弒shìpatricide, matricide
- 父fùfather, dad
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 16.1
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.