Analects 3.16
The Analects (論語), BOOK III. PA YIH 八佾第三
子曰、射不主皮、爲力不同科、古之道也。
The Master said, "In archery it is not going through the leather which is the principal thing;—because people's strength is not equal. This was the old way."
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
- 射shèto shoot, to eject, to emit
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 主zhǔto own; to host; master; host; lord
- 皮pískin, hide, fur, feathers
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 力lìstrength, power; capability, influence
- 同tóngsame, similar; together with, alike
- 科kēsection, department; field, branch; scie
- 古gǔold, classic, ancient
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 15
- Analects 4.6
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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