Analects 19.20
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIX. TSZE-CHANG 子張第十九
子貢曰、紂之不善、不如是之甚也、是以君子惡居下流、天下之惡皆歸焉。
Tsze-kung said, "Chau's wickedness was not so great as that name implies. Therefore, the superior man hates to dwell
in a low-lying situation, where all the evil of the world will flow in upon him."
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
- 貢gòngto offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 紂zhòusaddle strap, harness; an emperor
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 甚shénconsiderably; very, extremely; a great e
- 也yěalso, too
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 流liúto flow, to drift, to circulate; class
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 皆jiēall, every, everybody
- 歸guīto return, to go back; to return to, to
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 17.24
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 61
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 34
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 60
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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