Analects 13.24
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIII. TSZE-LU 子路第十三
子貢問曰、鄉人皆好之、何如。子曰、未可也。鄉人皆惡之、何如。子曰、未可也。不如鄉人之善者好之、其不善者惡之。
Tsze-kung asked, saying, "What do you say of a man who is loved by all the people of his neighborhood?" The Master replied, "We may not for that accord our approval of him." "And what do you say of him who is hated by all the people of his neighborhood?" The Master said, "We may not for that conclude that he is bad. It is better than either of these cases that the good in the neighborhood love him, and the bad hate him."
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
- 貢gòngto offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 鄉xiāngcountry, village; rural
- 人rénman, person; people
- 皆jiēall, every, everybody
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 也yěalso, too
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.