Analects 4.23
The Analects (論語), BOOK IV. LE JIN 里仁第四
子曰、以約、失之者鮮矣。
The Master said, "The cautious seldom err."
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
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 約yuētreaty, covenant, agreement
- 失shīto lose; to make a mistake, to neglect
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 鮮xiānfresh; delicious; attractive
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 1.2
- Analects 15.3
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi The Empire
- Analects 1.3
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.