Analects 14.35
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
子曰、驥、不稱其力、稱其德也。
The Master said, "A horse is called a ch'i, not because of its strength, but because of its other good qualities."
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
- 驥jìa thoroughbred horse; refined, virtuous
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 稱chēngbalanced; name, brand; to say, to call
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 力lìstrength, power; capability, influence
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 15.19
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Analects 1.7
- Analects 4.6
- Mencius 5B.3
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.