Analects 14.42
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
子擊磬於衞、有荷蕢、而過孔氏之門者、曰、有心哉、擊磬乎。既、而曰、鄙哉、硜硜乎、莫己知也、斯已而已矣、深則厲、淺則揭。子曰、果哉、末之難矣。
1. The Master was playing, one day, on a musical stone in Wei, when a man, carrying a straw basket, passed the door
of the house where Confucius was, and said, "His heart is full who so beats the musical stone."
2. A little while after, he added, "How contemptible is the one-ideaed obstinacy those sounds display! When one is taken no notice of, he has simply at once to give over his wish for public employment. 'Deep water must be crossed with the clothes on; shallow water may be crossed with the clothes held up.'"
3. The Master said, "How determined is he in his purpose! But this is not difficult!"
Character glossary
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 擊jīto strike, to hit, to beat; to attack, t
- 磬qìngmusical instrument; a kind of xylophone
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 衞wèiguard, protect, defend
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 荷hélotus, water lily; burden, responsibilit
- 蕢kuìedible amaranth; straw basket
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 氏shìclan, family; maiden name
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 既jìalready, since, then; both; de facto
- 鄙bǐrustic, vulgar; to despise, to scorn
- 硜kēngthe sound of stones knocking together
- 莫mòcannot; do not; is not; negative
- 己jǐself, oneself; personal, private; 6th he
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 也yěalso, too
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 深shēndeep, profound; depth
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 厲lìwhetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet
- 淺qiǎnshallow, superficial
- 揭jiēto lift off a cover; to reveal, to divul
- 果guǒfruit, nut; result
- 末mòend, final, last; insignificant
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Art of War 11.42
- Mencius 1A.7
- Analects 18.5
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.