Analects 6.10
The Analects (論語), BOOK VI. YUNG YEY 雍也第六
冉求曰、非不說子之道、力不足也。子曰、力不足者、中道而廢、今女畫。
Yen Ch'iu said, "It is not that I do not delight in your doctrines, but my strength is insufficient." The Master said, "Those whose strength is insufficient give over in the middle of the way but now you limit yourself."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 冉rǎntender; weak; to proceed gradually
- 求qiúto seek; to request, to demand; to besee
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 說shuōto speak, to say; to scold, to upbraid
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 力lìstrength, power; capability, influence
- 足zúfoot; to attain, to satisfy; enough
- 也yěalso, too
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 廢fèito terminate; to discard; to abgrogate
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 女nǚwoman, girl; female
- 畫huàpicture, painting, drawing; to draw
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Analects 17.21
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 11
- Mencius 7A.26
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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