Analects 14.12
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
子曰、孟公綽、爲趙魏老則優、不可以爲滕薛大夫。
The Master said, "Mang Kung-ch'o is more than fit to be chief officer in the families of Chao and Wei, but he is not fit to be great officer to either of the States Tang or Hsieh."
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
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 綽chuògraceful, delicate; spacious
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 趙zhàoancient state; surname
- 魏wèithe kingdom of Wei; surname
- 老lǎoold, aged; experienced
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 優yōusuperior; elegant
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 滕téngan ancient state in Shandong province
- 薛xuēwormwood, marsh grass; a feudal state
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.