Analects 19.24
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIX. TSZE-CHANG 子張第十九
叔孫武叔毀仲尼。子貢曰、無以爲也、仲尼不可毀也、他人之賢者、丘陵也、猶可踰也、仲尼、日月也、無得而踰焉、人雖欲自絕、其何傷於日月乎、多見其不知量也。
Shu-sun Wu-shu having spoken revilingly of Chung-ni, Tsze-kung said, "It is of no use doing so. Chung-ni cannot be reviled. The talents and virtue of other men are hillocks and mounds which may be stepped over. Chung-ni is the sun or moon, which it is not possible to step over. Although a man may wish to cut himself off from the sage, what harm can he do to the sun or moon? He only shows that he does not know his own capacity.
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 叔shūuncle; father's younger brother
- 孫sūngrandchild, descendent; surname
- 武wǔmilitary; martial, warlike
- 毀huǐto damage, to ruin; to defame, to slande
- 仲zhòngmiddle brother; go between, mediator; su
- 尼níBuddhist nun; used in transliterations
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 貢gòngto offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 也yěalso, too
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 他tāother, another; he, she, it
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 賢xiánvirtuous, worthy; good, able
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 丘qiūmound, hill; surname
- 陵línghill, mound; mausoleum
- 猶yóusimilar to, just like, as
- 踰yúexceed, transgress; cross over
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 月yuèmoon; month
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 雖suīalthough, even though
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 自zìself; private, personal; from
- 絕juéto cut, to sever; to break off, to termi
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 傷shāngto injure, to harm; wound, injury; to fa
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 多duōmuch, many, multi-; more than, over
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 量liàngmeasure, volume; amount, quantity
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 19.23
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Mencius 1A.7
- Mencius 1B.16
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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