Analects 2.7
The Analects (論語), BOOK II. WEI CHANG 爲政第二
子游問孝、子曰、今之孝者、是謂能養、至於犬馬、皆能有養、不敬、何以別乎。
Tsze-yu asked what filial piety was. The Master said, "The filial piety of now-a-days means the support of one's parents. But dogs and horses likewise are able to do something in the way of support;—without reverence, what is there to distinguish the one support given from the other?"
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
- 游yóuto wander, to travel, to tour, to roam
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 孝xiàofilial piety, obedience; mourning
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 養yǎngto raise, to rear, to bring up; to suppo
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 犬quǎndog
- 馬mǎhorse; surname
- 皆jiēall, every, everybody
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 敬jìngto respect, to honor; respectfully
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 別biéto separate, to distinguish, to classify
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 2A.2
- Mencius 5B.6
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Mencius 4B.7
- Zhuangzi The Secret of Life
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.