Analects 7.35
The Analects (論語), BOOK VII. SHU R 述而第七
子曰、奢則不孫、儉則固、與其不孫也、寧固。
The Master said, "Extravagance leads to insubordination, and parsimony to meanness. It is better to be mean than to be insubordinate."
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
- 奢shēexaggerated; extravagant, wasteful
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 孫sūngrandchild, descendent; surname
- 儉jiǎntemperate, frugal, economical
- 固gùto solidify; strength
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 也yěalso, too
- 寧níngcalm, peaceful; healthy; rather; to pref
Passages with shared wording
- Analects 3.4
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 36
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 67
- Art of War 11.24
- Mencius 7A.31
- Analects 14.46
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.