Analects 3.1
The Analects (論語), BOOK III. PA YIH 八佾第三
孔子謂季氏、八佾舞於庭、是可忍也、孰不可忍也。
Confucius said of the head of the Chi family, who had eight rows of pantomimes in his area, "If he can bear to do this, what may he not bear to do?"
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 季jìa quarter-year, a season; surname
- 氏shìclan, family; maiden name
- 八bāeight; all around, all sides
- 佾yìa row or file of dancers
- 舞wǔto dance; to brandish
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 庭tíngcourt; courtyard; spacious hall or yard
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 忍rěnto endure, to bear, to suffer, to tolera
- 也yěalso, too
- 孰shúwho? which? what? which one?
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 1B.13
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Mencius 1A.7
- Mencius 4A.19
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Analects 3.22
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.