Analects 13.22
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIII. TSZE-LU 子路第十三
子曰、南人有言曰、人而無恆、不可以作巫醫、善夫。不恆其德、或承之羞。子曰、不占而已矣。
1. The Master said, "The people of the south have a saying—'A man without constancy cannot be either a wizard or a doctor.' Good!
2. "Inconstant in his virtue, he will be visited with disgrace."
3. The Master said, "This arises simply from not attending to the prognostication."
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
- 南nánsouth; southern; southward
- 人rénman, person; people
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 恆héngconstant, persistent, regular
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 作zuòto make; to write, to compose; to act, t
- 巫wūwizard, sorcerer, witch, shaman
- 醫yīto cure, to heal, to treat; doctor; medi
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 或huòor, either, else; maybe, perhaps, possib
- 承chéngto undertake, to bear, to accept a duty;
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 羞xiūshame, disgrace; shy, ashamed
- 占zhànto divine; to observe; to versify
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.