Analects 14.34
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
微生畝謂孔子曰、丘何爲是栖栖者與、無乃爲佞乎。孔子曰、非敢爲佞也、疾固也。
1. Wei-shang Mau said to Confucius, "Ch'iu, how is it that you keep roosting about? Is it not that you are an insinuating talker?"
2. Confucius said, "I do not dare to play the part of such a talker, but I hate obstinacy."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 微wēismall, tiny, trifling; micro-
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 畝mǔfields; unit of area equal to 660 sq. m.
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 丘qiūmound, hill; surname
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 栖qīperch, roost, to stay
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 乃nǎithen; really, indeed, after all
- 佞nìngflattery; glib
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 敢gǎnbold, brave; to dare, to venture
- 也yěalso, too
- 疾jísickness, illness, disease; to envy, to
- 固gùto solidify; strength
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Opening Trunks
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Analects 6.13
- Analects 5.23
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.