Analects 6.2
The Analects (論語), BOOK VI. YUNG YEY 雍也第六
哀公問弟子孰爲好學。孔子對曰、有顏回者好學、不遷怒、不貳過、不幸短命死矣、今也則亡、未聞好學者也。
1. The Duke Ai asked which of the disciples loved to learn.
2.Confucius replied to him, "There was Yen Hui; he loved to learn. He did not transfer his anger; he did not repeat a fault. Unfortunately, his appointed time was short and he died; and now there is not such another. I have not yet heard of any one who loves to learn as he did."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 哀āisad, mournful, pitiful; to pity; to grie
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 弟dìyoung brother, junior
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 孰shúwho? which? what? which one?
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 對duìcorrect, right; facing, opposed
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 顏yánface, facial appearance
- 回huíto return, to turn around; a time
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 遷qiānto shift, to move; to transfer, to chang
- 怒nùanger, passion, rage
- 貳èrtwo (bankers' anti-fraud numeral)
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 幸xìngfavor, fortune, luck; surname
- 短duǎnbrief, short; deficient, lacking
- 命mìnglife; destiny, fate, luck; an order, ins
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 也yěalso, too
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 11.6
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.