Analects 5.8
The Analects (論語), BOOK V. KUNG-YE CH'ANG 公冶長第五
子謂子貢曰、女與回也、孰愈。對曰、賜也、何敢望回、回也、聞一以知十、賜也、聞一以知二。子曰、弗如也、吾與女、弗如也。
1. The Master said to Tsze-kung, "Which do you consider superior, yourself or Hui?"
2. Tsze-kung replied, "How dare I compare myself with Hui? Hui hears one point and knows all about a subject; I hear one point, and know a second."
3. The Master said, "You are not equal to him. I grant you, you are not equal to him."
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
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 貢gòngto offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 女nǚwoman, girl; female
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 回huíto return, to turn around; a time
- 也yěalso, too
- 孰shúwho? which? what? which one?
- 愈yùto recover, to heal; more and more
- 對duìcorrect, right; facing, opposed
- 賜cìto give; to bestow a favor; to appoint
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 敢gǎnbold, brave; to dare, to venture
- 望wàngto expect, to hope, to look forward to
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 十shíten, tenth; complete; perfect
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 弗fúnot, negative
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Analects 2.9
- Analects 3.6
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Mencius 2A.2
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.