Analects 16.9
The Analects (論語), BOOK XVI. KE SHE 季氏第十六
孔子曰、生而知之者、上也、學而知之者、次也、困而學之、又其次也、困而不學、民斯爲下矣。
Confucius said, "Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men. Those who learn, and so, readily, get possession of knowledge, are the next.
Those who are dull and stupid, and yet compass the learning, are another class next to these. As to those who are dull and stupid and yet do not learn;—they are the lowest of the people."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 也yěalso, too
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
- 次cìorder, sequence; second, next; one after
- 困kùnto surround; to besiege; surrounded, in
- 又yòuand, also, again, in addition
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 7B.37
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 20
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Mencius 4A.9
- Mencius 3A.4
- Mencius 4A.14
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.