Analects 14.37
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
子曰、莫我知也夫。子貢曰、何爲其莫知子也。子曰、不怨天、不尤人、下學而上達、知我者其天乎。
1. The Master said, "Alas! there is no one that knows me."
2. Tsze-kung said, "What do you mean by thus saying—that no one knows you?" The Master replied, "I do not murmur against
Heaven. I do not grumble against men. My studies lie low, and my penetration rises high. But there is Heaven;—that knows me!"
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
- 莫mòcannot; do not; is not; negative
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 也yěalso, too
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 貢gòngto offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 怨yuànto blame, to complain, to hate; enmity,
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 尤yóuespecially, particularly
- 人rénman, person; people
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 達dáto reach, to arrive at; intelligent
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 2B.13
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 14
- Analects 14.24
- Mencius 3B.9
- Zhuangzi Lieh Tzŭ
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.