Analects 12.8
The Analects (論語), BOOK XII. YEN YUAN 顏淵第十二
棘子成曰、君子質而已矣、何以文爲。子貢曰、惜乎夫子之說、君子也、駟不及舌。文猶質也、質猶文也、虎豹之鞟、猶犬羊之鞟
1. Chi Tsze-ch'ang said, "In a superior man it is only the substantial qualities which are wanted;—why should we seek for ornamental accomplishments?"
2. Tsze-kung said, "Alas! Your words, sir, show you to be a superior man, but four horses cannot overtake the tongue.
3. Ornament is as substance; substance is as ornament. The hide of a tiger or a leopard stripped of its hair, is like the hide of a dog or a goat stripped of its hair."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 棘jíjujube tree; thorns, brambles
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 質zhìessence, nature; material, substance
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 文wénculture, literature, writing
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 貢gòngto offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
- 惜xīpity, regret; to rue; to begrudge
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 說shuōto speak, to say; to scold, to upbraid
- 也yěalso, too
- 駟sìa team of four horses
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 舌shétongue; bell clapper
- 猶yóusimilar to, just like, as
- 虎hǔtiger; brave, fierce; surname
- 豹bàoleopard, panther; surname
- 鞟kuòskin; leather
- 犬quǎndog
- 羊yángsheep, goat
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi How to Govern
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Analects 9.20
- Mencius 3B.9
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.