Analects 17.11
The Analects (論語), BOOK XVII. YANG HO 陽貨第十七
子曰、禮云禮云、玉帛云乎哉、樂云樂云、鐘鼓云乎哉。
The Master said, "'It is according to the rules of propriety,' they say.—'It is according to the rules of propriety,' they say. Are gems and silk all that is meant by propriety? 'It is music,' they say.—'It is music,' they say. Are bells and drums all that is meant by music?"
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
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 云yúncloud; to say, to speak
- 玉yùjade, gem, precious stone
- 帛bósilk, fabric; wealth, property
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 鐘zhōngclock; bell
- 鼓gǔdrum; to beat, to strike; to rouse
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 5B.7
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Mencius 1B.1
- The Great Learning Passage 12
- Analects 1.12
- Analects 3.8
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.