Analects 2.11
The Analects (論語), BOOK II. WEI CHANG 爲政第二
子曰、溫故而知新、可以爲師矣。
The Master said, "If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so as continually to be acquiring new, he may be a teacher of others."
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
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 溫wēnwarm, lukewarm
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 新xīnnew, recent, fresh, modern
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 師shīteacher, professional, master
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 28
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Mencius 4B.3
- Mencius 4B.26
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.