Analects 13.10
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIII. TSZE-LU 子路第十三
子曰、苟有用我者、朞月、而已可也、三年有成。
The Master said, "If there were (any of the princes) who would employ me, in the course of twelve months, I should have done something considerable. In three years, the government would be perfected."
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
- 苟gǒucareless, frivolous, illicit; but, if on
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 朞jīfull year, anniversary
- 月yuèmoon; month
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 也yěalso, too
- 三sānthree
- 年niányear; anniversary; a person's age
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 17.5
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Hexagram 64
- Analects 7.30
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Analects 11.25
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.