Analects 14.46
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIV. HSIEN WAN 憲問第十四
原壤夷俟、子曰、幼而不孫弟、長而無述焉、老而不死、是爲賊。以杖叩其脛。
Yuan Zang was squatting on his heels, and
so waited the approach of the Master, who said to him, "In youth not humble as befits a junior; in manhood, doing nothing worthy of being handed down; and living on to old age:—this is to be a pest." With this he hit him on the shank with his staff.
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 原yuánsource, origin, beginning
- 壤rǎngsoil, loam, earth; rich
- 夷yíancient barbarian tribes
- 俟qíwait for, wait until, as soon as
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 幼yòuinfant, young child; immature
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 孫sūngrandchild, descendent; surname
- 弟dìyoung brother, junior
- 長zhǎnglong, lasting; to excel in
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 述shùto express, to state; to narrate, to tel
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 老lǎoold, aged; experienced
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 賊zéithief, traitor; cunning, sly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 杖zhàngcane, walking stick
- 叩kòuto ask; to bow, to kowtow; to knock
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 脛jìngcalf, shinbone
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 1B.5
- Analects 18.7
- Analects 9.7
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 6
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.