Analects 7.21
The Analects (論語), BOOK VII. SHU R 述而第七
子曰、三人行、必有我師焉、擇其善者而從之、其不善者而改之。
The Master said, "When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them."
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
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 三sānthree
- 人rénman, person; people
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 師shīteacher, professional, master
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 擇zéto select, to choose
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 改gǎito alter, to change, to improve, to remo
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.