Analects 15.40
The Analects (論語), BOOK XV. WEI LING KUNG 衞靈公第十五
子曰、辭、達而已矣。
The Master said, "In language it is simply required that it convey the meaning."
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
- 辭cíwords, speech; to resign, to take leave
- 達dáto reach, to arrive at; intelligent
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.