Analects 12.12
The Analects (論語), BOOK XII. YEN YUAN 顏淵第十二
子曰、片言可以折獄者、其由也與。子路無宿諾。
1. The Master said, "Ah! it is Yu, who could with half a word settle litigations!"
2. Tsze-lu never slept over a promise.
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 片piànslice, splinter; page, strip
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 折zhéto break, to snap; to fold, to bend; to
- 獄yùprison, jail; case; lawsuit
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 由yóucause, reason; from
- 也yěalso, too
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 路lùroad, path, street; journey
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 宿sùto stop, to rest, to lodge; constellatio
- 諾nuòto promise; to approve, to assent to
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.