Analects 18.10
The Analects (論語), BOOK XVIII. WEI TSZE 微子第十八
周公謂魯公曰、君子不施其親、不使大臣怨乎不以、故舊無大故、則不棄也、無求備於一人。
The duke of Chau addressed his son, the duke of Lu, saying, "The virtuous prince does not neglect his relations. He does not cause the great ministers to repine at his not employing them. Without some great cause, he does not dismiss from their offices the members of old families. He does not seek in one man talents for every employment."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 周zhōuZhou dynasty; circumference
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 魯lǔfoolish, stupid, rash; vulgar
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 施shīto grant, to bestow; to act; surname
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 親qīnrelatives, parents; intimate; the hazeln
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 臣chénminister, statesman, official, vassal
- 怨yuànto blame, to complain, to hate; enmity,
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 舊jiùold, ancient; former, past
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 棄qìto abandon, to discard, to reject; to de
- 也yěalso, too
- 求qiúto seek; to request, to demand; to besee
- 備bèito prepare; to get ready, to equip; read
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 人rénman, person; people
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi The Empire
- Analects 8.2
- Analects 7.16
- Analects 13.25
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.