Analects 19.13
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIX. TSZE-CHANG 子張第十九
子夏曰、仕而優則學、學而優則仕。
Tsze-hsia said, "The officer, having discharged all his duties, should devote his leisure to learning. The student, having completed his learning, should apply himself to be an officer."
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
- 夏xiàsummer; the Xia or Hsia dynasty
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 仕shìofficial; to serve in the government
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 優yōusuperior; elegant
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.