Analects 8.11
The Analects (論語), BOOK VIII. T'AI-PO 泰伯第八
子曰、如有周公之才之美、使驕且吝、其餘不足觀也已。
The Master said, "Though a man have abilities as admirable as those of the Duke of Chau, yet if he be proud and niggardly, those other things are really not worth being looked at."
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
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 周zhōuZhou dynasty; circumference
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 才cáiability, talent, gift; just, only
- 美měibeautiful, pretty; pleasing
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 驕jiāohaughty, spirited; a wild stallion
- 且qiěmoreover, also (post-subject); about to,
- 吝lìnstingy, miserly; parsimonious
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 餘yúsurplus, remainder, excess
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 足zúfoot; to attain, to satisfy; enough
- 觀guānto observe, to spectate; appearance, vie
- 也yěalso, too
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.