Analects 20.3
The Analects (論語), BOOK XX. YAO YUEH 堯曰第二十
子曰、不知命、無以爲君子也。不知禮、無以立也。不知言、無以知人也。
1. The Master said, "Without recognising the ordinances of Heaven, it is impossible to be a superior man.
2. "Without an acquaintance with the rules of Propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.
3. "Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men."
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
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 命mìnglife; destiny, fate, luck; an order, ins
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 也yěalso, too
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 立lìto stand; to establish, to set up
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 人rénman, person; people
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 16.13
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Mencius 2A.2
- Analects 15.13
- Analects 17.10
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.