Analects 15.36
The Analects (論語), BOOK XV. WEI LING KUNG 衞靈公第十五
子曰、君子貞、而不諒。
The Master said, "The superior man is correctly firm, and not firm merely."
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
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 諒liàngto excuse, to forgive; to guess, to pres
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.