Analects 7.18
The Analects (論語), BOOK VII. SHU R 述而第七
葉公問孔子於子路、子路不對。子曰、女奚不曰、其爲人也、發憤忘食、樂以忘憂、不知老之將至云爾。
1. The Duke of Sheh asked Tsze-lu about Confucius, and Tsze-lu did not answer him.
2. The Master said, "Why did you not say to him,—He is simply a man, who in his eager pursuit (of knowledge) forgets his food, who in the joy of its attainment forgets his sorrows, and who does not perceive that old age is coming on?"
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 葉yèleaf, page; surname
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 路lùroad, path, street; journey
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 對duìcorrect, right; facing, opposed
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 女nǚwoman, girl; female
- 奚xīwhere, what, why, how
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 爲wèido, handle, govern, act; be
- 人rénman, person; people
- 也yěalso, too
- 發fāto issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
- 憤fènanger, indignation; to hate, to resent
- 忘wàngto forget, to miss, to neglect, to overl
- 食shífood; to eat
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 憂yōusad, grieving; melancholy, grief
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 老lǎoold, aged; experienced
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 云yúncloud; to say, to speak
- 爾ěryou; that, those; final particle
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 32
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Mencius 2B.2
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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