Analects 5.21
The Analects (論語), BOOK V. KUNG-YE CH'ANG 公冶長第五
子在陳曰、歸與歸與、吾黨之小子狂簡、斐然成章、不知所以裁之。
When the Master was in Ch'an, he said, "Let me return! Let me return! The little children of my school are ambitious and too hasty. They are accomplished and complete so far, but they do not know how to restrict and shape themselves."
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
- 在zàiat, in, on; to exist; used to indicate t
- 陳chénto display, to exhibit; to plead; surnam
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 歸guīto return, to go back; to return to, to
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 黨dǎngpolitical party, gang, faction
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 狂kuánginsane, mad; violent; wild
- 簡jiǎnsimple, succinct, terse; a letter
- 斐fěigraceful, elegant, beautiful
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
- 章zhāngchapter, section, writing; seal
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 裁cáito trim, to reduce, to cut; judgment
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 7B.37
- Analects 13.18
- Mencius 7A.24
- Zhuangzi Contingencies
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.