Analects 6.20
The Analects (論語), BOOK VI. YUNG YEY 雍也第六
樊遲問知。子曰、務民之義、敬鬼神而遠之、可謂知矣。問仁。曰、仁者先難而後獲、可謂仁矣。
Fan Ch'ih asked what constituted wisdom. The Master said, "To give one's self earnestly to the duties due to men, and, while respecting spiritual beings, to keep aloof from them, may be called wisdom." He asked about perfect virtue. The Master said, "The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration;—this may be called perfect virtue."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 樊fánrailing, fence, enclosed place
- 遲chítardy, slow, late; to delay
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 務wùaffairs, business; should; must
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 敬jìngto respect, to honor; respectfully
- 鬼guǐghost; demon; sly, mischievous
- 神shéngod, spirit; divine, mysterious, superna
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 先xiānfirst, former, previous
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 獲huòto get, to obtain, to receive, to sieze
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 12.22
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Analects 13.19
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi The Universe
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.