Analects 14.11
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
子曰、貧而無怨、難、富而無驕、易。
The Master said, "To be poor without murmuring is difficult. To be rich without being proud is easy."
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
- 貧pínpoor, needy, impoverished; lacking
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 怨yuànto blame, to complain, to hate; enmity,
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
- 富fùabundant, ample; rich, wealthy
- 驕jiāohaughty, spirited; a wild stallion
- 易yìto change; to exchange, to trade; simple
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.