Analects 2.12
The Analects (論語), BOOK II. WEI CHANG 爲政第二
子曰、君子不器。
The Master said, "The accomplished scholar is not a utensil."
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
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 器qìdevice, instrument, tool; receptacle, ve
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.