Analects 4.6
The Analects (論語), BOOK IV. LE JIN 里仁第四
子曰、我未見好仁者、惡不仁者、好仁者、無以尙之、惡不仁者、其爲仁矣、不使不仁者、加乎其身。有能一日用其力於仁矣乎、我未見力不足者。蓋有之矣、我未之見也。
1. The Master said, "I have not seen a person who loved virtue, or one who hated what was not virtuous. He who loved virtue, would esteem nothing above it. He who hated what is not virtuous, would practise virtue in such a way that he would not allow anything that is not virtuous to approach his person.
2. "Is any one able for one day to apply his strength to virtue? I have not seen the case in which his strength would be insufficient.
3. "Should there possibly be any such case, I have not seen 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
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 尙shàngstill, yet; even; fairly, rather
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 加jiāto add to, to increase, to augment
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 力lìstrength, power; capability, influence
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 足zúfoot; to attain, to satisfy; enough
- 蓋gàito cover, to hide, to protect
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Zhuangzi The Universe
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.