Analects 6.12
The Analects (論語), BOOK VI. YUNG YEY 雍也第六
子游爲武城宰、子曰、女得人焉耳乎。曰、有澹臺滅明者、行不由徑、非公事、未嘗至於偃之室也。
Tsze-yu being governor of Wu-ch'ang, the Master said to him, "Have you got good men there?" He answered, "There is Tan-t'ai Mieh-ming, who never in walking takes a short cut, and never comes to my office, excepting on public business."
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
- 游yóuto wander, to travel, to tour, to roam
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 武wǔmilitary; martial, warlike
- 城chéngcastle, city, town; municipality
- 宰zǎito slaughter, to butcher; to govern, to
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 女nǚwoman, girl; female
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 人rénman, person; people
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 耳ěrear; to hear, to hear of; handle
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 澹dàncalm, quiet, tranquil
- 臺táiplatform; unit; term of address
- 滅mièto extinguish; to wipe out
- 明míngbright, clear; to explain, to understand
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 由yóucause, reason; from
- 徑jìngpath, diameter; straight, direct
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 嘗chángto taste; to experience, to experiment w
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 偃yǎnto cease, to lay down, to lay off
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 室shìhouse, home; room, chamber
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.