Analects 18.8
The Analects (論語), BOOK XVIII. WEI TSZE 微子第十八
逸民、伯夷、叔齊、虞仲、夷逸、朱張、柳下惠、少連。子曰、不降其志、不辱其身、伯夷叔齊與。謂柳下惠少連、降志辱身矣、言中倫、行中慮、其斯而已矣。謂虞仲夷逸、隱居放言、身中淸、廢中權。我則異於是、無可無不可。
1. The men who have retired to privacy from the world have been Po-i, Shu-ch'i, Yu-chung, I-yi, Chu-chang, Hui of Liu-hsia, and Shao-lien.
2. The Master said, "Refusing to surrender their wills, or to submit to any taint in their persons;—such, I think, were Po-i and Shu-ch'i.
3. "It may be said of Hui of Liu-hsia, and of Shao-lien, that they surrendered their wills, and submitted to taint in their persons,
but their words corresponded with reason, and their actions were such as men are anxious to see. This is all that is to be remarked in them.
4. "It may be said of Yu-chung and I-yi, that, while they hid themselves in their seclusion, they gave a license to their words; but, in their persons, they succeeded in preserving their purity, and, in their retirement, they acted according to the exigency of the times.
5. "I am different from all these. I have no course for which I am predetermined, and no course against which I am predetermined."
Character glossary
- 逸yìto flee, to escape, to break loose
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 伯bóolder brother; father's elder brother; s
- 夷yíancient barbarian tribes
- 叔shūuncle; father's younger brother
- 齊qíeven, uniform, of equal length
- 虞yúanxious, concerned, worried
- 仲zhòngmiddle brother; go between, mediator; su
- 朱zhūcinnabar, vermilion; surname
- 張zhāngto display; to expand, to open; to stret
- 柳liǔwillow tree; pleasure; surname
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 惠huìfavor, benefit, blessing, kindness
- 少shǎofew, little; less; inadequate
- 連liánto join, to connect; continuous; even
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 降jiàngto descend, to fall; to drop, to lower
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 志zhìdetermination, will; mark, sign; to reco
- 辱rǔto insult, to humiliate, to abuse
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 倫lúnhuman relationships; society
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 慮lǜanxious, concerned, worried
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 隱yǐnto hide, to conceal; secret, hidden
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 放fàngto release, to liberate, to free
- 淸qīngclear
- 廢fèito terminate; to discard; to abgrogate
- 權quánauthority, power, right
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 異yìdifferent, strange, unusual; foreign; su
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Analects 16.12
- Analects 16.11
- Zhuangzi Language
- Mencius 7A.31
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.