Analects 4.12
The Analects (論語), BOOK IV. LE JIN 里仁第四
子曰、放於利而行、多怨。
The Master said: "He who acts with a constant view to his own advantage will be much murmured against."
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
- 放fàngto release, to liberate, to free
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 多duōmuch, many, multi-; more than, over
- 怨yuànto blame, to complain, to hate; enmity,
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.