Analects 19.18
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIX. TSZE-CHANG 子張第十九
曾子曰、吾聞諸夫子、孟莊子之孝也、其他可能也、其不改父之臣、與父之政、是難能也。
The philosopher Tsang said, "I have heard this from our Master:—'The filial piety of Mang Chwang, in other matters, was what other men are competent to, but, as seen in his not changing the ministers of his father, nor his father's mode of government, it is difficult to be attained to.'"
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 曾céngalready, formerly, once; the past
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 諸zhūall, many, various; surname
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 莊zhuāngvillage, hamlet; villa, manor
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 孝xiàofilial piety, obedience; mourning
- 也yěalso, too
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 他tāother, another; he, she, it
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 改gǎito alter, to change, to improve, to remo
- 父fùfather, dad
- 臣chénminister, statesman, official, vassal
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 政zhènggovernment, politics
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Analects 19.15
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 9
- The Great Learning Passage 16
- Mencius 3A.4
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.