Analects 3.25
The Analects (論語), BOOK III. PA YIH 八佾第三
子謂韶、盡美矣、又盡善也、謂武、盡美矣、未盡善也。
The Master said of the Shao that it was perfectly beautiful and also perfectly good. He said of the Wu that it was perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good.
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
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 韶sháobeautiful, excellent, harmonious; music
- 盡jǐnto exhaust, to use up, to deplete
- 美měibeautiful, pretty; pleasing
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 又yòuand, also, again, in addition
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 也yěalso, too
- 武wǔmilitary; martial, warlike
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Analects 13.8
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Mencius 6A.8
- Mencius 7A.41
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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