Analects 4.5
The Analects (論語), BOOK IV. LE JIN 里仁第四
子曰、富與貴、是人之所欲也、不以其道得之、不處也。貧與賤、是人之所惡也、不以其道得之、不去也。君子去仁、惡乎成名。君子無終食之間違仁、造次必於是、顚沛必於是。
1. The Master said, "Riches and honours are what men desire. If it cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and meanness are what men dislike. If it cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided.
2. "If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfil the requirements of that name?
3. "The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it."
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
- 富fùabundant, ample; rich, wealthy
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 貴guìexpensive, costly; valuable, precious
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 也yěalso, too
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 處chùto reside at, to live in; place, locale;
- 貧pínpoor, needy, impoverished; lacking
- 賤jiàncheap, low, mean, worthless
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 去qùto go away, to leave, to depart
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
- 名míngname; position, rank, title
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
- 食shífood; to eat
- 間jiānbetween, among; midpoint; space, place,
- 違wéito violate, to disobey, to defy; to sepa
- 造zàoto build, to construct, to invent, to ma
- 次cìorder, sequence; second, next; one after
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 顚diāntop, peak, summit; upset
- 沛pèiabundant, copious, full
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.