Analects 15.33
The Analects (論語), BOOK XV. WEI LING KUNG 衞靈公第十五
子曰、君子不可小知、而可大受也、小人不可大受、而可小知也。
The Master said, "The superior man cannot be known in little matters; but he may be intrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be intrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters."
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
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 受shòuto receive, to get, to accept; to bear
- 也yěalso, too
- 人rénman, person; people
Passages with shared wording
- Hexagram 62
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Zhuangzi Contingencies
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Transcendental Bliss
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.