Analects 8.12
The Analects (論語), BOOK VIII. T'AI-PO 泰伯第八
子曰、三年學、不至於穀、不易得也。
The Master said, "It is not easy to find a man who has learned for three years without coming to be good."
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
- 年niányear; anniversary; a person's age
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 穀gǔvalley, gorge, ravine
- 易yìto change; to exchange, to trade; simple
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.