Analects 16.12
The Analects (論語), BOOK XVI. KE SHE 季氏第十六
齊景公有馬千駟、死之日、民無德而稱焉、伯夷叔齊、餓于首陽之下、民到于今稱之。其斯之謂與。
1. The duke Ching of Ch'i had a thousand teams, each of four horses, but on the day of his death, the people did not praise him for a single virtue. Po-i and Shu-ch'i died of hunger at the foot of the Shau-yang mountain, and the people, down to the present time, praise them.
2. "Is not that saying illustrated by this?"
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 齊qíeven, uniform, of equal length
- 景jǐngscenery, view; conditions, circumstances
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 馬mǎhorse; surname
- 千qiānthousand; many, numerous; very
- 駟sìa team of four horses
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 稱chēngbalanced; name, brand; to say, to call
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 伯bóolder brother; father's elder brother; s
- 夷yíancient barbarian tribes
- 叔shūuncle; father's younger brother
- 餓èhungry; greedy
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 首shǒuchief, head, leader
- 陽yángthe male principle; bright, sunny; clear
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 到dàoto go to, to arrive
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.