Analects 4.24
The Analects (論語), BOOK IV. LE JIN 里仁第四
子曰、君子欲訥於言、而敏於行。
The Master said, "The superior man wishes to be slow in his speech and earnest in his conduct."
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
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 訥nèinarticulate, slow; to mumble, to stamme
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 敏mǐnfast, quick; clever, smart
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 2A.2
- Analects 1.14
- Mencius 7A.21
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.