Analects 14.20
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
子言衞靈公之無道也、康子曰、夫如是、奚而不喪。孔子曰、仲叔圉治賓客、祝鮀治宗廟、王孫賈治軍旅、夫如是、奚其喪。
1. The Master was speaking about the unprincipled course of the duke Ling of Wei, when Ch'i K'ang said, "Since he is of such a character, how is it he does not lose his State?"
2. Confucius said, "The Chung-shu Yu has the superintendence of his guests and of strangers; the litanist, T'o, has the management
of his ancestral temple; and Wang-sun Chia has the direction of the army and forces:—with such officers as these, how should he lose his State?"
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
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 衞wèiguard, protect, defend
- 靈língspirit, soul; spiritual world
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 也yěalso, too
- 康kānghealth; peace, quiet
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 奚xīwhere, what, why, how
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 喪sàngmourning; mourn; funeral
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 仲zhòngmiddle brother; go between, mediator; su
- 叔shūuncle; father's younger brother
- 圉yǔstable, fence, corral; frontier, border
- 治zhìto administer, to govern, to regulate
- 賓bīnguest, visitor; surname; submit
- 客kèguest, traveller; customer
- 祝zhùto pray; to wish well; surname
- 鮀tuósnakefish
- 宗zōngancestry, clan, family, lineage; religio
- 廟miàotemple, shrine; imperial court
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 孫sūngrandchild, descendent; surname
- 賈jiǎmerchant; to buy, to trade; surname
- 軍jūnarmy, military; soldiers, troops
- 旅lǚjourney, trip; to travel
- 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.