Analects 15.20
The Analects (論語), BOOK XV. WEI LING KUNG 衞靈公第十五
子曰、君子求諸己、小人求諸人。
The Master said, "What the superior man seeks, is in himself. What the mean man seeks, is in others."
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
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 求qiúto seek; to request, to demand; to besee
- 諸zhūall, many, various; surname
- 己jǐself, oneself; personal, private; 6th he
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 人rénman, person; people
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 7B.30
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- The Great Learning Passage 11
- Mencius 2A.7
- Mencius 4A.4
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.