Analects 3.24
The Analects (論語), BOOK III. PA YIH 八佾第三
儀封人請見、曰、君子之至於斯也、吾未嘗不得見也。從者見之、出曰、二三子、何患於喪乎、天下之無道也久矣、天將以夫子爲木鐸。
The border warden at Yi requested to be introduced to the Master, saying, "When men of superior virtue have come to this, I have never been denied the privilege of seeing them." The followers of the sage introduced him, and when he came out from the interview, he said, "My friends, why are you distressed by your master's loss of office? The kingdom has long been without the principles of truth and right; Heaven is going to use your master as a bell with its wooden tongue."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 儀yíinstrument, apparatus; ceremony, rites
- 封fēngenvelope, letter; to confer, to grant; f
- 人rénman, person; people
- 請qǐngto ask, to request; to invite; please
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 也yěalso, too
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 嘗chángto taste; to experience, to experiment w
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 出chūto go out, to send out; stand; produce
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 三sānthree
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 患huànsuffering; misfortune; trouble; to suffe
- 喪sàngmourning; mourn; funeral
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 久jiǔlong ago; a long time
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 木mùtree; wood, lumber; wooden
- 鐸duóbell; surname
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Mencius 1B.15
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.