Analects 8.2
The Analects (論語), BOOK VIII. T'AI-PO 泰伯第八
子曰、恭而無禮則勞、愼而無禮則葸、勇而無禮則亂、直而無禮則絞。君子篤於親、則民興於仁、故舊不遺、則民不偷。
1. The Master said, "Respectfulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes laborious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity; boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination; straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.
2. "When those who are in high stations perform well all their duties to their relations, the people are aroused to virtue.
3. When old friends are not neglected by them, the people are preserved from meanness."
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
- 恭gōngpolite, respectful, reverent
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 勞láoto labor, to toil; to do manual work
- 愼shènact with care, be cautious
- 葸xǐafraid, bashful, insecure
- 勇yǒngbrave, courageous, fierce
- 亂luànanarchy, chaos; revolt
- 直zhístraight, vertical; candid, direct, fran
- 絞jiǎointertwined; to twist, to wring; to hang
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 篤dǔdeep, serious; genuine, sincere, true
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 親qīnrelatives, parents; intimate; the hazeln
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 興xìngto thrive, to prosper, to flourish
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 舊jiùold, ancient; former, past
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 遺yíto lose; a lost article
- 偷tōuto steal; burglar, thief
Passages with shared wording
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 38
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Analects 15.26
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Analects 18.10
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.