Analects 17.2
The Analects (論語), BOOK XVII. YANG HO 陽貨第十七
子曰、性相近也、習相遠也。
The Master said, "By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart."
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
- 性xìngsex, nature, character; suffix convertin
- 相xiāngmutual, reciprocal; equal; each other
- 近jìnto approach; near, close; intimate
- 也yěalso, too
- 習xíto study, to practice; habit
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.