Analects 15.27
The Analects (論語), BOOK XV. WEI LING KUNG 衞靈公第十五
子曰、眾惡之、必察焉、眾好之、必察焉。
The Master said, "When the multitude hate a man, it is necessary to examine into the case. When the multitude like a man, it is necessary to examine into the case."
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
- 眾zhòngmultitude, crowd; masses, public
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 察cháto examine, to investigate, to observe
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Mencius 7A.5
- Zhuangzi The Empire
- Analects 13.24
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.