Analects 2.13
The Analects (論語), BOOK II. WEI CHANG 爲政第二
子貢問君子、子曰、先行其言、而後從之。
Tsze-kung asked what constituted the superior man. The Master said, "He acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions."
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
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 先xiānfirst, former, previous
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.