Analects 17.4
The Analects (論語), BOOK XVII. YANG HO 陽貨第十七
子之武城、聞弦歌之聲。夫子莞爾而笑曰、割雞焉用牛刀。子游對曰、昔者偃也、聞諸夫子曰、君子學道則愛人、小人學道則易使也。子曰、二三子、偃之言是也、前言戲之耳。
1. The Master, having come to Wu-ch'ang, heard there the sound of stringed instruments and singing.
2. Well pleased and smiling, he said, "Why use an ox knife to kill a fowl?"
3. Tsze-yu replied, "Formerly, Master, I heard you say,—'When the man of high station is well instructed, he loves men; when the man of low station is well instructed, he is easily ruled.'"
4. The Master said, "My disciples, Yen's words are right. What I said was only in sport."
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
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 武wǔmilitary; martial, warlike
- 城chéngcastle, city, town; municipality
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 弦xiánbow string; string instrument; hypotenus
- 歌gēsong, lyrics; to sing, to chant
- 聲shēngsound, noise; voice, tone, music
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 莞guǎnto smile; club-rush, Scirpus lacustris
- 爾ěryou; that, those; final particle
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 笑xiàoto smile, to laugh; to giggle; to snicke
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 割gēto cut, to divide, to partition; to cede
- 雞jīchicken
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 牛niúox, cow, bull
- 刀dāoknife; old coin; measure
- 游yóuto wander, to travel, to tour, to roam
- 對duìcorrect, right; facing, opposed
- 昔xīpast, former; ancient
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 偃yǎnto cease, to lay down, to lay off
- 也yěalso, too
- 諸zhūall, many, various; surname
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 愛àito love, to like, to be fond of; love, a
- 人rénman, person; people
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 易yìto change; to exchange, to trade; simple
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 三sānthree
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 前qiánin front, forward; former, preceding
- 戲xìplay, show, theater
- 耳ěrear; to hear, to hear of; handle
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 6.12
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Analects 14.44
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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