Analects 13.18
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIII. TSZE-LU 子路第十三
葉公語孔子曰、吾黨有直躬者、其父攘羊、而子證之。孔子曰、吾黨之直者異於是、父爲子隱、子爲父隱、直在其中矣。
1. The Duke of Sheh informed Confucius, saying, "Among us here there are those who may be styled upright in their conduct. If their father have stolen a sheep, they will bear witness to the fact."
2. Confucius said, "Among us, in our part of the country, those who are upright are different from this. The father conceals the misconduct of the son, and the son conceals the misconduct of the father. Uprightness is to be found in this."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 葉yèleaf, page; surname
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 語yǔwords, language; saying, expression
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 黨dǎngpolitical party, gang, faction
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 直zhístraight, vertical; candid, direct, fran
- 躬gōngto bow; personally, in person; oneself
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 父fùfather, dad
- 攘rǎngto usurp, to seize; to repel
- 羊yángsheep, goat
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 證zhèngto prove, to verify; certificate, proof
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 異yìdifferent, strange, unusual; foreign; su
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 隱yǐnto hide, to conceal; secret, hidden
- 在zàiat, in, on; to exist; used to indicate t
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Analects 5.21
- Mencius 7B.37
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Mencius 3A.4
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.